The Rising of Merlin
by Teekalin
Summary: Merlin has lived for 1400 years without intervening with the wizard world. But when the time comes that he no longer can ignore Harry's need for help he decides to act, but it didn't go exactly as he had planned. Can he convince Dumbledore and the Order that he is a good guy or will Hermione discover his secret.
1. The One With the Additionals Details

**A/N**

**Before I start the story I want to explain a few of the details.**

_*The era of Camelot happened during the 7th century or year 600 something. Which makes Merlin approximately 1400 years old._

_*In this story Merlin looks to be 26 years old because that is how old he is at the end of season 5, according to my calculations._

The whole Merlin show takes place during ten years from the beginning of season 1 to the end of season 5. In the intro they call Merlin a boy, until season 4 when they change it to man. In that time you become a man when you turn 21 which Arthur does in Season 1. So Merlin is 16 when he comes to Camelot and Arthur is 20. You know that Arthur is 20 because the Purge started 20 years ago and Arthur's birth was what started it.

Merlin's father Balinor was summoned at the end of the purge which was after a year, and Hunith was pregnant for 9 months, or a year if you add up. So Balinor could easily have stayed in Ealdor for two years before he had to leave. So four years isn't that much of a leap to assume.

Every season last for one year, give or take a few months. Between season 2 and 3 there has been a year when Morgana was lost, There also was a year between season 3 and 4 when Uther was ill. And between season 4 and 5 it was three years. So all seasons make five years and all the gaps make five years, and sum total is ten years altogether. Merlin is 26 when Arthur dies and Arthur is 30.

_*When it comes to Merlin's looks. I try to explain it in Chapter 1 but to make it easier. He is build like in season 4 and 5. Which means more buff and less lanky. His hair and stubble is like Colin Morgan's in some pictures. They way it is ruffled and goes down a bit over his ears.  
><em>

_I hope that clarifies it a bit._


	2. The One That is the Prologue

**The One That is the Prologue **

Merlin ran through the forest as fast as he could. 'This can't be happening' he thought, 'not again. I can't be too late; I will not be too late', Merlin thought angrily too himself while running. He could hear his blood pumping in his ears from exhaustion. He was almost there; he could see the traces from the fight where Grawp had pulled up the trees. There were even some arrows sticking out here and there from the centaurs. But all of a sudden his foot got stuck in a root and he fell face first on the ground and everything went black.

He woke up hours later. The sun had begun to rise. Merlin sat up against a tree, his head spinning and for a moment his eyes couldn't focus. "Where am I?" he said out loud. He couldn't for the life him figure out why he sat in the middle of a forest at dawn and not lying in his bed at 'The three broomsticks'. He tried to stand up but as soon as he did he felt a sharp pain on his forehead. Instinctively he reached up with his hand to check. He felt something sticky and took his hand down again to look at it. It was all bloody.

"_Great_" he muttered. "_Not only can't I remember where I am but I'm also bleeding, just my luck_".

Eventually he got up on his feet and started looking around. That's when he saw his Sidhe staff and everything came back to him.

"_Harry Potter. I must stop him_" he yelled out. He remembered now. He was trying to stop Harry Potter from going to the 'Ministry of magic' and into Voldemorts trap.

_Merlin had been checking up on Harry ever since that awful day almost 15 years ago when Voldemort had come to his house and murdered his parents. He had never intended to intervene in Harry's life but a few days before he had taken his annual trip to the crystal cave; trying to get an answer for when Arthur was going to return. _

_He went there every few years. Each time hoping for an answer but instead getting visions for everything but. He had seen the destruction of Camelot after Gwen's death but had been helpless to do anything about it. The ban of magic had been lifted after a few years and the executions had ended but it hadn't stopped the attacks completely._

_When he had come back from Avalon he had told Gwen about Arthur. He had stayed until Gwen's coronation but after that he couldn't stay anymore. There were too many memories. Gwen had come to his and Gaius's chambers the day after the coronation. He had been in the middle of packing his things when she came into his room. He hadn't told anyone except Gaius about his coming departure, but she hadn't looked surprised, instead she had looked sad. _

_'__Of course she would have known he would leave. She knew how much Arthur had meant to him', Merlin thought angrily._

_She had sat down on his bed and looked at him with a stern look and patted the bed next to her. He sat down immediately. She told him that Gaius had told her about the sorcerer and she knew it had been him. She promised him that she would keep it a secret if he wanted her to. He had been startled at first but after he had calmed down he had given her permission to tell the knights. He was leaving so what harm would it do. But she had to promise to wait until after he had left. _

_She had tried to convince him to stay but deep down she knew it was futile so she stopped. She stayed with him until he had packed everything and then followed him to the gates. The knights were waiting for them there._

_'__Of course they would have known to'._

_He left Camelot and didn't come back until Gaius's funeral ten years later. He noticed the looks from the knights and Gwen, he could tell they had noticed that he hadn't aged but they didn't mention it. He was thankful for that. It would have been too hard to talk to them about it; after all, he had just recently figured it out for himself. After that he never returned. _

_He built himself a cottage a short distance from the lake. There he waited for Arthur's return. A few years after Gaius's death he started going to the crystal cave, eventually it became a habit. After the battle of Camlann he had learned to master the technique to use them and he could not only see the future but also the past and present. There he saw Gwen's death and Camelot's fall that followed shortly after. _

_He also saw when the founders started building Hogwarts. He never intervened with them but he had stayed in the village nearby in case they would need help. On the final night before the schools opening, he had sneaked in and made a few moderations. His proudest one was 'the room of requirement'. He also put up some wards of his own. They were stronger then the founders and undetectable. After that he only watched from afar. During the muggle wars he had helped a little but there wasn't much he could do without getting noticed. _

_A few years after the building of Hogwarts, he left the cottage. The muggle world was becoming bigger and he decided that it would be easier to pass the time and at the same time hide himself from the growing wizard community if he lived as a muggle. So instead he built himself a two story house in a village that later became central London. He enrolled to many schools during his life which gave him several different degrees and also a easier way to start over from time to time, because he could chose very different jobs and that way blend in amongst the muggles._

_Then on one of his trips to the cave he saw a vision of an old man talking to a woman in a bar, a very odd woman. She wore shawls around her shoulders and big bug like glasses. He was interviewing her for a job at Hogwarts. The old man got up and started to leave when the woman started talking in a deep voice. _

_**"**__**The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."**__. _

_Afterwards the woman didn't seem to have remembered anything but the old man was a bit startled but he quickly composed himself and immediately decided to give her the job at Hogwarts._

_Merlin didn't know what to do about this. He had noticed how the Dark Lord had become more and more powerful, but he had decided not to intervene until absolute necessary because of his supposed death. No one knew that he was still alive and that was how he wanted it to be. Getting involved would only raise questions that he didn't want to answer. But he couldn't help but to see where the prophecy would lead. _

_He searched the crystals for answers for hours. He saw how a man with greasy black hair and long nose told the Dark Lord about the prophecy, but he hadn't heard the second half of it. The Dark Lord had decided to act regardless and went to the Potters house. Merlin cursed Peter Pettigrew under his breath when he found out that he had betrayed his friends and he saw how Voldemort killed Harry's parents and then decided to kill him. But his mother had evoked a spell from the Old Religion when she sacrificed herself for her son. It had saved Harry's life._

_After that Merlin decided to check up on Harry once in a while, but he always decided not to get involved. Instead he watched through the crystals. Everything seemed fine during the following ten years, if you didn't count the constant abuse Harry got from his aunt and uncle. It wasn't until he started Hogwarts that things started getting complicated. _

_Every year it got harder and harder for Merlin not to interfere, until the end of the forth year; Voldemort had returned. But he knew that he couldn't just burst in at the Order and demand to help. No he had to come up with a plan. Maybe he could act as a student, but that would be too complicated. They would see through his disguise in no time, especially the fact that he didn't need a wand. No instead Merlin decided to move to Hogsmead for the time being. There he lived under the disguise as an old man, or' Dragoon the great' as Arthur had known him as. He had used that disguise quit often during his 14__th__ century old life. It was easier to go unnoticed that way. _

_During Harry's fifth year he moved into a room at the 'Three broomsticks' which meant that he could listen in on Harry and his friends every time they visited Hogsmead. They never noticed him of course; he had mastered the act of blending in during his time as Camelot. He even followed them to 'The Hogshead' where he found out about their secret 'Defense against the dark arts' club. But he never intervened. Not even when he heard about Dolores Umbridge. He was furious about it but it wasn't yet time to reveal himself to them. _

_But then at the end of the year he had search one of the crystals he had brought with him from the cave and he saw Harry and his friend Hermione walk in to the forbidden forest with Umbridge, and he knew that something wasn't right. Shortly after Harry's other friends had followed them. He saw what would happen at the Ministry, he saw the death of Sirius Black and the attack from Voldemort. He had to stop them. So Merlin decided that it was finally time to act._


	3. The One Where Merlin Just Shows Up

**A/N**

**I'm positively surprised by the notice this story has gotten. As of this second when writing this, I have gotten 183 visitors. That's fantastic. This is my first ever fan fiction so I hope that I can live up to your expectations.**

**I will try and upload at least once a week but if I feel the inspiration I will upload more frequent. I like to have a few chapters done in advance before I post.**

**In this chapter they will say that Merlin looks to be 25 but that's because it's not that easy to say that someone looks to be exactly 26.**

**Special thanks to Female whovian, Liljanam, Guest and White-Falcon-06 for reviewing.**

**PS. English is not my native language so bear with my if there are any mistakes.**

**Now enjoy the story.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 The One Where Merlin Just Shows Up<br>**

Merlin bent down to pick up the staff but as he did he yelled out in pain and stumbled down to the ground again. It was his ankle; it was broken. "Just fantastic" he exclaimed. He had to try to heal it if he were going to be able to get back to Hogwarts.

He tried to summon up his power but it was hard. His head kept spinning; 'probably a concussion' he thought, and his ankle really hurt. He had also lost quite a bit of blood when he was unconscious.

His old man spell was still up but he didn't really notice it. He used it so often it was second nature to him. He rarely thought about it, except for the fact that it made him slower and his body ached all over when he used it.

"**_Gestepe hole! Þurhhæle_**", Merlin could feel the glow in his eyes but it didn't work. He tried another spell. "**_Ahlúttre þá séocnes. Þurhhæle bræd_**_._", but it didn't work this time either. He tried one last time; "**_Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare mid þam sundorcræftas þære ealdaþ æ!_**" but it still didn't work. He was too weak and he never was any good with healing spells.

He heaved himself up with the staff. He had to make it back to Hogwarts. Maybe there was still something he could do, but he feared that he was too late. So before he made his way back to Hogwarts he took up the crystal that he had in his bag; which he never left behind when he left.

All his most precious belongings were in that bag. The spell book he had gotten from Gaius, the wooden dragon his father had given him and his old neckerchiefs to name a few things. He had collected a few items during the centuries but the things from his time in Camelot were the things he cared most about.

He also had some spare clothes in the bag but other than that he didn't have much else. He was a natural in travelling light and all other things could be bought or summoned from his house when he needed it.

He looked deep into the crystal, hoping that it was not yet too late, but he was. Cursing under his breath he tucked the crystal back in his bag and began his slow and painful way back to Hogwarts.

He finally reached the school grounds after one hour; he could see the castle in the distance between the trees. He stumbled out from the woods with the help of his staff. He had come out just beside the half-giant groundskeepers cottage. He saw Harry and the half-giant just rounding the corner when he passed out.

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><p>Harry made his way down to Hagrid's cottage. Ron and Hermione was up in the hospital wing, he had just left from there. He felt a deep sorrow in his chest. His head started spinning around every time he thought about the prophecy and at the same time he felt hurt and angry when he thought about Sirius. 'He hadn't needed to die. It wasn't right', Harry thought.<p>

He had told Ron and Hermione that he was going to visit Hagrid but he wasn't sure if he wanted to be alone or not. But instead of making a real choice he just let his legs decide, and in no time he was outside of Hagrid's door. He knocked but there was no answer. Harry was just about to leave when Fang came running towards him from the other side of the cottage.

"Harry" Hagrid called. Harry went around the cottage to see Hagrid working in his garden. Together they went back to the door but before Hagrid could open the door an old man came limping out from the forest.

His forehead had a deep cut on it and there was dry blood all over his face while new blood was slowly dripping from the wound. He was held up by a staff when he walked, never fully supporting his right foot. When he saw Harry and Hagrid he stopped and slowly fell down on the ground unconscious, but Harry had noticed a small smile on his face before he had passed out.

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><p>Merlin could hear Hagrid call for help and he could feel himself being lifted up and carried to the castle on a stretcher. He wasn't completely out yet but he could tell that he was drifting more and more into unconsciousness.<p>

He heard a woman's voice; strong and confident. She was talking to someone as they carried him up the stairs and to the hospital wing. He couldn't make out the words because of all the chatter going around when the students came down to eat breakfast, but he could hear that it was an older man she was talking to.

Suddenly the noises from the students stopped and Merlin guessed that they had arrived in the hospital wing. He was transferred to a comfortable bed and when the woman started talking again he could make out some of the words.

"Who is he Albus?" she asked.

"I have never seen him before" the old man named Albus answered. "We have to wait until he regains consciousness before finding out".

"Poppy" the man said, "how severe are the injuries"?

"He has lost a lot of blood and his ankle is broken. He also seems to have a concussion" another woman, apparently the nurse, answered.

"Harry you said that he came tumbling out from the woods" the first woman asked.

"Yes, he was limping and supporting himself on this".

Merlin guessed Harry had meant the staff. He hoped that they wouldn't realize exactly what kind of staff it was.

"Then when he saw us, Hagrid and me that is, he smiled and passed out" Harry continued.

That was the last thing Merlin could hear before he was completely submerged in the darkness and he could feel his aging spell lifting.

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><p>Harry sat between Ron and Hermione's bed while the old man was being checked over; still holding the staff that he had picked up while Hagrid had lifted the man up on the stretcher. He stood up and gave the staff to McGonagall and at the same time he cast a glance to the mysterious old man.<p>

That's when he saw the changing; the air around the man began shimmering and he gasped out loud when the hair on the man was retreating up inside the man's head until only a few centimetres remained.

They others had started watching when he gasped and they all saw the hair turning black and all the wrinkles stretched out and the body got filled out. When the transition was finished the old man was no longer to be seen, instead in the bed laid a young man, looked to be around 25, who was muscular but still slim looking; like a runner or a swimmer.

He had almost black hair, just like Harry's own. It stretched down to cover half his ears; ears that stuck out in a comical way. And the beard he previously had had was only stubble now, just as black as his hair.

It was quiet for what felt like eternity before McGonagall broke the silence.

"H-how was he able to hold a powerful transformation spell like that for so long after being unconscious?" she asked with a slightly tremor in her voice. "I have never seen anything like it".

"I don't know Minerva" Dumbledore answered, looking just as confused as the rest of them.

"Whoever this young man is, he must be powerful. Poppy, let me know the minute he wakes up" he said "I must go and pick up Professor Umbridge from the centaurs" and together with McGonagall he turned to leave but he stopped and looked at Harry as if he had forgotten he was there.

"Harry you should come to and let your friends rest". Harry didn't protest, instead he said goodbye to Ron and Hermione and headed back to the common room.

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><p>Once in the common room Harry sat down on a chair in front of the fire. Not long after, Ginny and Neville came and sat in the other chairs beside him.<p>

"I heard you found an old man in the woods" Ginny said and stared at him with a curious look in her eyes.

"Yes" he said with a new found enthusiasm, "I was at Hagrid's and we were just about to go inside when a old man came limping out from the woods. Face all bloody and he was leaning on a weird looking staff. It had weird marks carved in the wood and on top sat a blue stone. It didn't look like a regular walking stick".

"That's weird" Ginny said, "I wonder what he was doing in the forbidding forest. Maybe he's working with You-know-who" she said and Neville swallowed nervously.

"Yeah, maybe" Harry said "but that's not the weirdest thing. He had been lying in the hospital bed for a while, Madame Pomfrey had even taken care of his injuries, when the air around him started shimmering and he was transformed to a young man, looked to be around 25" he finished with an intense stare at both Ginny and Neville in turn.

"How is that even possible?" Ginny asked, "I thought transformation spells on yourself was really difficult?"

"That what was McGonagall asked to. She said that it was really difficult to hold on to an ageing spell for so long after being unconscious. And Dumbledore said that he must be really powerful. I'm going back to the hospital wing tomorrow to visit Ron and Hermione. Hopefully he is awake then."

"I'm coming with you" Ginny stated "I want to find out more about this man".

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><p>But when Harry and Ginny came to the hospital wing the next evening; they hadn't been allowed in earlier because Ron and Hermione needed rest Madame Pomfrey had told them, the mysterious man was still unconscious.<p>

"It's really weird" Hermione said "Madame Pomfrey said to Dumbledore and McGonagall before that there isn't anything physical wrong with him anymore. All his injuries are healed. They don't know why he hasn't woken up yet".

They heard quiet murmurs from the man's bed just then. He was trying to say something but they couldn't make out the words. They called Madame Pomfrey over; who had been in her room on the other side of the wing. She immediately alerted Dumbledore and McGonagall, and they came together after only ten minutes.

Altogether it had been fifteen minutes since the man had started murmuring and during that time his voice had became higher. Instead of the whispering in the beginning you could now make out some of the words, but they didn't make much sense. Harry thought that it sounded like names; Gwaine, Gaius and Freya were a few that he could make out.

Madame Pomfrey had made it over to the man's bed and started examining him.

"Can you see any changes?" McGonagall asked.

"His pulse has increased" Madame Pomfrey answered. "Other than that there doesn't seem to be any different. I don't know if he is going to wake up or if it is a side effect of his unconsciousness".

It went on for an hour. The murmurs increased in intensity until one word could be heard over and over among the other words 'Arthur', until suddenly the man yelled out the name from the top of his lungs and sat straight up in the bed, eyes glowing gold.

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><p><strong>AN**

**The spells used are directly taken from the show, but I will probably in the future use my own spells as well that I have been translating from an Old English website.**

**_Gestepe hole! Þurhhæle =_ Heal the injury! Heal thoroughly!**

_**Ahlúttre þá séocnes. Þurhhæle bræd = **_**Cleanse the sickness. Heal thoroughly the flesh.**

**_Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare mid þam sundorcræftas þære ealdaþ æ!_ = I heal you thoroughly from your mortal wound with those special powers that are ancient! Oh!**


	4. The One Where Merlin Lies, a Lot

**A/N**

**I really, really, really appreciate the response I have gotten on this story. Every time I read a new review my heart swells a little bit more. =)**

**I hadn't planned on updating today. I actually was thinking of making Mondays my regular update day. But I'm going away tomorrow and won't come back until the following Sunday. I will be on an island with very limited Internet access. And I'm not allowed to bring my laptop so I won't be able to write while I'm there. So I tried to finish my latest chapter today but only made half because I got stuck on some dialogues and what not. But I thought that I would be nice and still upload a new chapter so you only haft to wait 1,5 weeks for the next instead or two whole weeks.**

**I would also like to thank ****Whenithitsthefan. You know why, I have Pm:ed you. Tack så jättemycket.**

**Now on with the story.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 The One Where Merlin Lies, a Lot.<br>**

Merlin regained some of his consciousness after a while only to have the darkness replaced with a flood of memories. He saw memories from his time in Camelot with Arthur and the knights. He could see the first time he had met Gwaine, several of his long discussions about magic with Gaius and his short time with Freya among some of the memories.

But they were soon replaced with other memories during his 14th century old life, until finally something new came in view. It wasn't a memory but it showed a place he recognized. Merlin would never forget that place; after all he had lived just beside it for several hundred years.

It was the lake, but there where something else there to. Merlin couldn't see what it was at first where he stood on the beach, but it came closer and closer until Merlin finally realized it was a person, a person with a long red cloak, chain-mail and ruffled blond hair. He looked at Merlin with eyes as blue as the sky and a smirk on his face as he stood in the lake with water up to his waist.

"Arthur" Merlin called out to him and started running towards him, "Arthur, Arthur, ARTHUR"; but the vision started to disappear and instead he saw several pair of eyes looking at him where he sat in the bed. He hadn't noticed that he had sat up but he could feel the gold from his eyes disappear as he was regaining his consciousness.

When he looked around the room he could see two women and an old man looking down on him from the end of the bed. On the opposite side of the room two young boys and two young girls sat on two beds, and on the far corner of the room there was a toad like woman lying in a bed, seemingly asleep.

Merlin recognized them all from the crystals. The old man was Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster at Hogwarts. One of the women was Professor McGonagall and the other was the healer Madame Pomfrey. The toad like woman was Professor Umbridge; Merlin shuddered a little when he saw her. He hadn't met her personally but he had seen enough visions and heard enough stories to know how evil she was.

Merlin recognized the children to. The ones in bed were Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry's best friends. Harry himself sat on Hermione's bed, and the other girl that was sitting on Ron's bed was Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister.

Merlin ignored them all with a shrug and immediately jumped of the bed and looked for his staff.

"I guess this is what you are looking for" Dumbledore said to him and showed him the staff. "But I think its better that you explain who you are first before I give this back to you".

Merlin eyed him suspiciously but he understood that he would get his staff back faster and with less violence if he told them part of who he was. He couldn't tell them the entire truth yet, they weren't ready for that and it would be easier to convince them later if they trusted him, so he sat down on the bed again.

"My name is Marcus Embrose" he said. It was a name that he had used before so it would be easy to remember.

"Do you care tell us what you were doing in the forbidden forest and how you got the injuries?" he asked.

"I was trying to save Harry" Merlin answered and made a nod to the black haired boy on the other side. He figured that he could at least tell them that part.

"I saw what was going to happen at the ministry" he paused and looked out the window "was it two days ago?" he asked but continued before anyone could answer.

"But as I was making my way over two where they were going to fly with the Testriles I caught my foot in a root, clumsy as I am" he said with a small chuckle "and hit my head hard enough to pass out. By the time I woke up it was already too late so I decided to make my way to the school instead because I was too weak to heal myself" he finished.

"How did you know I needed help?" someone asked.

Merlin looked around at the sound; he had been staring out the window the whole time. He found the source of the question, it was Harry. He looked down on his feet that were dangling from the bed, when he answered in a sad but slightly grave tone.

"I saw a vision of it, of everything. I had to stop you before you ran into the trap. Not that I have had any luck in stopping visions to happen before" the last bit he muttered mostly to himself. He couldn't help but think back to the time in Camelot where he had tried to stop Morgana from killing Uther and then to the time of Arthur's death, but he stopped himself.

If he dwell too much on the past he wouldn't get out from there for a while. That was something he had experienced several times during his long life. Sometimes he had just lain in hid bed for several days just thinking of his old friends that were long dead. He hadn't gotten out from bed until his hunger had snapped him out from it.

"Are you a seer?" Dumbledore asked curiosity in his eyes.

Merlin looked up "No I'm not a seer" he answered with a grin, "but I have methods to look into the future. But I don't like it, never had".

"Do you mean like tea leafs in a cup?" Ron asked.

"No, not tea leafs" he answered and couldn't help but to chuckle a bit at the question. "Those methods aren't really reliable". He could see on Ron's expression that he agreed on that. "No I use a scrying crystal".

"What is a scrying crystal?" Ron asked.

He looked around for his bag and saw it lying on the bed beside his own. He stood up and walked over to retrieve it. It hadn't been opened; not they would have been able to. He had put a deflection charm on it, so that if someone were to try to open it they would forget why as soon as they got close and would just set it back down again.

He could see by the expression on Dumbledore's face that he had tried to open it, and he could also tell that he had also figured out why he couldn't. But Merlin just ignored it with a shrug. He would deal with that later. He opened his bag and took out the scrying crystal and held it up so everyone could see.

"Can you really see the future in that" Hermione asked. Merlin remembered from the visions that she was really smart.

"Yes" McGonagall said before Merlin could answer. "But to do that you have to have very powerful magic. No one alive today has the power to wield it. If what you say is true Mr Ambrose then you much bee very powerful indeed".

"Your ageing spell must have been powerful to, especially if it stayed on for so long after you passed out" she continued.

'The ageing spell, what was she talking about' Merlin thought. Then he saw his reflection in the crystal. He hadn't realized the spell had lifted, but he couldn't tell them it was a spell. The woman was right, it was a powerful spell but he didn't want them to know how powerful he really was. He had to come up with a lie.

"The ageing spell was performed with a potion" he said which wasn't entirely a lie; he had used a potion at first to perform his ageing spell. He just didn't need to do that anymore. "It only lasts a few hours so it was only a coincident that it would stop working while I was unconscious" he continued.

"And me being able to use a crystal is because I am of druid descending" he said as he tucked the crystal back in his bag. It was partially true, you had to have the magic of the old religion to use a crystal but not all druids could use it, it was actually very few that had that power, but they didn't need to know that.

"I thought the druids died out centuries ago" Hermione asked. Clearly she lived up to her reputation. Merlin made a mental note to remember that.

"They didn't die out" he stated, "They simply went into hiding. They didn't want to be part of the new magic that was being taught here at Hogwarts. They ehm we use a different kind of magic, a wand less magic. But that kind of magic has been declining for a long time now, even more since the wand was introduced. So most druid doesn't know many spells, or they can't use the spells they know because their magic is too weak. So most druids today don't use magic, but they can still use elemental magic like a scrying crystal."

"What about your eyes?" Ginny asked.

"What about my eyes?" he said back with a frown, deep down fearing for what she was about to say.

"They glowed golden when you woke up" she said.

Merlin wasn't sure what to say. He had a vague recollection of it happening but he had quickly forgotten it when he took in all the people in the room and he was still a little upset about the dream vision he had just had. He had to figure that one out later when he was alone. Right now he had to come up with a reasonable answer to the girl.

"Druid magic" he said, "manifests itself in the eyes so they turn golden when magic is performed. I don't know why my eyes turned golden when I woke. It may have been because of my injuries. My body was trying to heal itself and some of the magic was released when I finally woke."

"That must be powerful magic you druids have" McGonagall stated, "To be able to alter something as fundamental as the colour of your eyes when used."

"It is powerful magic compared to wand magic but the magic I possess is still weak if you compare it to how it used to be 14th centuries ago" He answered.

"How much magic do you possess?" she asked.

"Not much" he lied. "I can do a few healing spells, at least when I don't have a head injury" he chuckled. "I can do a few other spells but nothing of importance."

"Can you do wand magic?" Dumbledore asked.

"I can do some wand magic. My uncle wasn't a druid, so he taught me everything he could in the time I had with him. My father didn't want me to learn so I never went to Hogwarts, but when he died I moved in with my uncle. He was a physician so he taught me many potions. But he died a few months ago." Merlin couldn't help but feel sad when he thought about Gaius, even if it had been centuries since he died. It still felt so fresh. He could feel tears prickle his eyes but he quickly wiped them away.

"I'm sorry" he said, voice thick with emotions. "The pain is still fresh in my mind."

"Don't worry Mr Embrose" Dumbledore said. "We will leave you to rest for the night and talk more tomorrow." He turned to Harry and his friends.

"You three can return to your common room" he said and indicated towards Harry, Hermione and Ginny. "I don't want you interrogating our guest when he needs sleep. Miss Granger, I have talked to Madame Pomfrey and you are well enough to leave the hospital wing now. As for you Mr Weasley, you are not well enough to leave but you will be moved to a bed on the other side of the wing, so you won't disturb our guest."

Merlin could see the four of them exchanging glances. They had apparently expected Hermione and Ron to stay and find out more about him. He couldn't help but chuckle a little when he saw their disappointed looks. But they left without protest and soon he was alone in the room except for Umbridge, who was still asleep, and Ron on the other side of the room. He could now finally start to figure out what his vision had meant.

* * *

><p>Dumbledore sat in his office that evening together with Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. They were discussing the young man lying in the hospital wing. Dumbledore wasn't sure how to react to him. He claimed he wasn't powerful but there was something about him that made Dumbledore feel differently.<p>

One of the things was his bag. He had tried to look through it when he was unconscious but every time he picked it up, something made him put it down again. Dumbledore could tell that a deflection charm was put on it but he couldn't break it. He had tried everything but nothing worked. Eventually he had to give up.

"He might be working with you-now who?" Dumbledore was woken from his thoughts by Professor Snape.

"I don't think he is Severus" Dumbledore said. "There's something about him that makes me trust him".

"I agree" McGonagall said, "He may be powerful but I think we can trust him. Weren't the druids supposed to be a peaceful people?"

"How do we even know he's telling the truth? Everything I've heard about the druids, they're supposed to have died out" Severus stated.

"I will make some research about the druids under the summer" Dumbledore said, "But in the meanwhile we need to decide what to do with the boy. He said he could do some wand magic. Maybe we should let him attend Hogwarts in the autumn. That way we can keep an eye on him and see what his intentions are".

Severus didn't say anything but Dumbledore could see that he didn't agree. 'Maybe he's right' Dumbledore thought. 'Maybe he is working with Voldemort'. But Dumbledore was once again woken from his thought, this time by McGonagall.

"But what are we to do with him during the summer?" she asked.

"He can stay at the Weasley's over the summer. That way member's from the order and the Weasley family can keep watch over him." Dumbledore had first started to suggest Grimmauld place but he had a feeling that they wouldn't be using the old house for a while; the pain from Sirius death still to fresh.

"Minerva, please inform Arthur and Molly immediately. Make sure they're ready to take in the boy when the school term ends."

McGonagall left the office with a nod to Dumbledore. The moment the door closed, Severus turned to Dumbledore.

"I hope you know what you're doing" he said. "What are we going to do with him rest of the week before the term end?"

"I'm going to talk to him tomorrow. Poppy said he's ready to be released then."

"Do you really think it's wise to let him walk the castle alone?"

"We haft to show him we trust him. That will make it easier to convince him to live with the Weasley's and make him attend Hogwarts next term. But you're right, I don't trust him completely which is why I want you to keep an eye on him" Dumbledore said with a tired sight.

Severus didn't answer immediately. He turned to walk out the office but before he left he said over his shoulder; "I don't trust this boy, but I will keep an eye on him". And with that he shut the door and left Dumbledore alone with his thoughts.

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><p><strong>AN**

**I hope you all liked it and have a great weekend. Both this and the next one =)**


	5. The One Where Merlin Leaves the Hospital

**A/N**

**I'm finally back from the land without Internet =)**

**Thank you for all the reviews, favourites and likes. I really appreciate it.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 The One Where Merlin Leaves the Hospital.<br>**

Merlin had trouble sleeping that night. His mind kept drifting to his vision of Arthur. He had never experienced anything like it before. He wasn't a seer; he shouldn't be able to have dream visions. But there was something in the back of his head that told him it hadn't been a vision, it had been something else. Like a message, telling him something important. Maybe it was telling him that 'The Once and Future King' was coming back he thought with a smile.

Whatever it was he was sure he would figure it out eventually. But coming to that conclusion didn't help him sleep, instead he spent the night in a restless sleep and he woke early the next morning; not feeling rested at all.

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><p>Harry and Hermione sat alone in the Gryffindor common room; Ginny had gone to sleep a while ago. The fire was almost burned out but they were still no closer to figuring out who the mysterious man was. Hermione had suggested that he might be a deatheater, but they both felt that he wasn't evil.<p>

"I still think he's hiding something. I could tell he was lying when he explained the ageing spell" Hermione said.

"But what?" Harry answered with a tired sigh. "He said he wasn't powerful but I could feel that there was something he wasn't telling us. Have you ever heard about a scrying crystal Hermione?"

"I think I've read about it once in our first year, when I tried to find out more about the Philosophers stone, but I can't remember what exactly. I will go to the library tomorrow and do some research."

"But what do you know about the druids? The only thing I've heard about them is that they existed hundreds of years ago during King Arthur's time. And that was during Muggle School. I have never heard them being mentioned here."

"You're right, Professor Binns have never mentioned them and I've also only heard about them from Muggle books." Hermione said confused. "I have to look that up to" She said quietly to herself. "We should probably go to bed now" she said and before Harry could answer she got up and headed towards the stairs and Harry followed shortly after.

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><p>Merlin woke early the next day; the sun had just gone up over the horizon. Early mornings were something he was used to from his days in Camelot. No matter what Arthur had said, Merlin had been a good manservant and he was almost never late to wake the King up in the mornings. The early morning habit had stuck even after Arthur's death but Merlin didn't mind. He was glad that at least some part of him remained the way Arthur had known him.<p>

He had tried to fulfil his promise to him and never change, but it was hard. Years of loneliness and misery had worn him out and he had become reserved. He didn't trust people easily and almost never confided in anyone. There were few people during the centuries that he had open up to and actually shown the real him to; the happy, goofy and carefree him, not the powerful warlock side of course. But they were few and far between, and mostly muggles.

During the centuries, Merlin had lived more in the muggle world then in the magical world. He had found out that it was easier to hide his true magic from muggles then from wizards and witches. Muggles would just shrug and think it was just their imagination but witches and wizards weren't so easily fooled. They knew magic and they knew when something was different.

But nobody had yet to guess his true identity, mostly because he had moved on as soon as they had been too suspicious. He never stayed longer than a few years at the same workplace. Mostly because he didn't want to get too attach and it was tiresome to use the ageing spell. He could go a few years without it but eventually people would notice that he didn't age and he had to use a spell that aged him a little at the time and after a few years he got tired and worn down from using it.

Merlin sat up in the bed; Ron and Umbridge were still asleep so he figured that he would change his clothes while he was the only one awake. He didn't want anybody to see his scars that he had accumulated during the years to be honest; most of them were from his time in Camelot.

He was still wearing his Dragoon the great outfit so he opened his bag and dug out a pair of dark blue jeans, a red t-shirt and a black jacket. He felt more comfortable in muggle clothes than wizards' robes; after all he had grown up with muggles in Ealdor.

He could hear Ron moving in his bed so he decided to climb back down in bed and wait for Professor Dumbledore. He hadn't told him he would come but Merlin could guess that he wanted to ask him more things as soon as possible. So he lay back in the bed and it didn't take long before his eyes drifted close.

* * *

><p>Harry decided to join Hermione in the library the next day, so together they made their way to the library. On their way there they ran into Dumbledore, literally in Harry's case.<p>

"I'm sorry Professor. I didn't see you there" Harry said embarrassed, sitting on the floor. Beside him he could see Hermione trying to stifle a laugh.

"It's no problem Harry. You where apparently deep in thoughts" Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Does it have anything to do with our new guest perhaps?"

Harry shared a look with Hermione as he stood up again but before he had a chance to open his mouth she answered the question.

"We got curious about the druids Professor, so we decided that we wanted to find out more about it. They seem like a fascinating people."

"Well then, don't let me keep you" Dumbledore said. "Who am I to try and stop a curious mind?" And with that he walked away, leaving Harry and Hermione to stare at each other before they both burst out in laughs.

"That went well" Harry said, still a little chocked from the whole ordeal.

"Come now Harry, we only have a few hours before dinner" and with that she dragged him away towards the library.

* * *

><p>The next time Merlin woke was because of a door that was opening and closing. He sat up in the bed and saw Dumbledore walking over to him.<p>

"Good morning Mr Embrose" he said. "How are we feeling today?"

"Good morning Headmaster" Merlin replied. "I feel much better today. Completely healed" he said with a big smile. He had to try and convince them that he was on the good side and he had noticed that a smile was always the best way to convince people.

"That's good to know" Dumbledore said with a twinkle. "I have talked to Madame Pomfrey and she says that you are ready to be released later today. She wants you to stay for a few more hours but you can leave in time for dinner. But I have a proposition to you first before you leave".

"What kind of proposition?" Merlin asked. He could guess that Dumbledore wanted him to stay. They didn't trust him yet and Merlin knew that they probably wanted to keep an eye on him, and he wasn't one to deny that. After all, it would make it easier for him to watch over Harry. So he decided to play along as the clueless druid boy for a while longer.

"I want you to stay at the castle the week out until the school term is ending, and I want to offer you a place here at the school in the autumn. Maybe you can learn more wand magic" he said.

"That sounds wonderful Headmaster" Merlin exclaimed. "I would love a chance to learn more magic. I must confess that my spell repertoire is very limited" he lied. Merlin new almost every spell there existed for wand magic. He had never attended Hogwarts but he had bought every book there was about it during his life. He wanted to stay updated. But he wasn't about to tell them that. Being offered a place at Hogwarts was better than he had expected. Then he just had to make sure to be sorted in Harry's house and everything would go much smother.

"I'm glad to hear that Mr Embrose. That just leaves us the question about the summer. You probably already have a place to stay but if you would like you can stay with a few friends of mine. Ronald Weasley's family to be exact" he finished and nodded towards Ron's bed.

"That way you don't have to be alone anymore and you can get a head start with your education".

"I must think about that for a while Headmaster" Merlin said. He really did. He could see what a great opportunity this was but he still felt a bit resigned about it. He wasn't used to live with so many people anymore and he wasn't sure if he was ready for it yet.

"Of course" Dumbledore said. "Take a few days and think about it. Just come by my office when you have decided." And with that Dumbledore got up and left the hospital wing.

Merlin lay on his bed for the rest of the morning and early afternoon, his thoughts spinning in his head. He could tell that Dumbledore was disappointed about his answer, and he knew that they would trust him easier if he just conceded to their terms but he still felt hesitation. He knew that if he would stay with the Weasley's during the summer he would get closer to Harry and his friends much faster but at the same time he was worried about just that. He didn't want to make friends, because he didn't want to feel the pain when he would lose them.

His thoughts spun around in his mind the same way over and over until he was woken from his reverie by someone calling him.

"Marcus mate, are you okay?"

Merlin looked up and saw Ron sitting on the bed beside him.

"I'm fine" he said as soon as he found his voice. "I'm just thinking that's all" he said with a shrug and a small grin as he sat up.

"It's okay" Ron said. "I know the feeling. I'm Ron by the way" he said and offered a hand to Merlin.

"Hi Ron, I'm Marcus" Merlin said and shook his hand.

"I saw Dumbledore in here before. What did he want?"

"You are very direct with your questions aren't you" Merlin said with a smirk. He actually liked it.

"Yeah sorry about that, my friends and family always reprimand me about it" he said with a shrug.

"It's okay, I don't mind. Sometimes it's better to be direct" he answered with a smile. "To answer your question, Dumbledore offered me a place here at the school when the next school year starts. He wants me to learn more wand magic and I accepted."

"Wow that's cool mate" Ron said. "Maybe you will be a Gryffindor?"

"Yeah maybe" Merlin answered, he would make sure of it. "He also asked me if I wanted to stay with your family during the summer. So I can get a head start with my education."

"Oh okay" Ron said. "That would be cool. You could teach me and my mates a few of your druid spells."

"I'm not sure about that" Merlin said, secretly fearing for what Ron could do with that kind of knowledge. "I barely know any and the ones I know rarely works. I'm not powerful enough and you must have the magic of the Old religion in you to be able to use them. I'm not sure if you and your friends have it."

"That's too bad. It would have been fun to use wand less magic."

They were soon interrupted from their conversation by an agitated Madame Pomfrey.

"Mr Weasley, what are you doing up from your bed? You are not fit to move yet."

"But I feel fine" Ron exclaimed. "And we were just talking."

"I will decide if you are well or not. Now go back to your bed so I can examine you. You to Mr Embrose lay down in your bed again until I can give you your final examination."

Ron gave up with a sigh and walked back to his bed. Merlin chuckled a little to himself. He started to like Ron.

Merlin lay down in his bed while Madame Pomfrey examined Ron and when she finally walked over to him he felt relived. He didn't want to stay in the hospital wing any longer. He wanted to walk around the castle and visit his own room. He stayed still while Madame Pomfrey examined him and answered her questions truthfully. When she was finished she declared him fit to leave.

He sat up and looked over to Ron, who also sat up, and gave him thumbs up and a huge grin. Ron replied in the same way, apparently he too was allowed to leave. Merlin stood up and went to pick up his bag. That's when he realized that he never got his staff back. He had to go and talk to Dumbledore about that soon, before he could figure out what kind of staff it really was. But first he wanted to eat. He waited for Ron to come over before he walked toward the doors.

"So" Merlin said. "Where is the food?"

Ron grinned towards him. "The food is in the great hall. They will be serving soon so if we hurry we will be there before all the sausages get eaten."

Merlin grinned back at him. He could tell that Ron really liked food. Together they made their way out from the hospital wing and towards the great hall.


	6. The One Where They Question Him

**A/N**

**I'm sorry I wasn't able to update in Mondays, but I lost my Internet last Wednesday and didn't get it back until last night. But I have managed to write two new chapters in the meanwhile and started on a third.**

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**Now on with the story.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 The One Where They Question Him.<br>**

Harry and Hermione were in the library, searching for information about the druids and the scrying crystal. They sat at a table in the back, with mountains of books between them. Then suddenly Hermione shut her book with a slam. Harry looked up at her confused.

"What's the matter Mione?" he asked.

"I can't find anything important about the druids" she said with a sigh. "The only things I can find is the same as in the muggle books plus a little about Merlin and the Old Religion".

"The Old Religion" Harry said confused. "What is that?"

"Apparently that is what the druids and the great Merlin practised during the 7th century. It is a form of practise of magic that takes its powers directly from the earth instead of channelling it through a magical core like we do with our wands. It is wand less magic and much more powerful than any magic we use today" she stated.

"But didn't Marcus say that he used wand less magic? That all druid descendants did?"

"Yes" Hermione said. "Which must mean that he uses the magic of the Old Religion and that he was lying to us about how powerful he is? But he did also say that the magic druids use was declining and very few can use it today. "

"I don't think he was telling the truth about himself" Harry said, "but maybe he was telling the truth about the magic and druids."

"Maybe you should just ask him" Ginny said.

Harry and Hermione jumped a bit in their chairs when they noticed that Ginny was there. They hadn't notice her coming so they were a bit startled.

"How long have you been standing there?" Harry asked, with a slight tremor on his voice.

"Long enough" she said and shrugged. "But I'm serious. If you want to find out more about the druids and their magic, why don't you just ask Marcus directly? You don't know, maybe he will tell you."

"Maybe" Hermione said suddenly deep in thoughts.

"Anyway, I actually came here to fetch you for dinner. So come on. I've heard that Ron and Marcus are being released and will be joining us in the great hall for dinner." And with that she turned around and started walking away, not waiting to see if Harry and Hermione followed; which they did actually. You don't say no to Ginny if you don't want to be hexed or jinxed.

They arrived in the great hall just before the dinner was served and Harry looked around to see if he could find Ron and Marcus but they were nowhere to be seen. Instead he sat down at the table with Hermione; Ginny sat further down with Luna and some others from her year group.

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><p>Merlin and Ron walked in silence down to the great hall. Or Merlin was silent; Ron was babbling on about sausages and what not. Merlin just tuned him out, too busy to take in the castle. He hadn't been in the castle since before it opened and he had sneaked in to add a few wards of his own and to take a look at the castle close up. It was just as he remembered it, but with a lot more paintings on the walls and a few scorch marks here and there from misfired spells.<p>

Eventually they arrived at the great hall and Ron immediately sat down opposite Harry and Hermione. Marcus followed suit and sat down next to Ron. But at the same time he looked around the hall; the enchanted ceiling, the hundreds of students eager to learn all about magic; wait was that guy winking at him, and the floating candles. He was so deep in thoughts and wonder that he didn't notice Hermione talking to him at first.

"What?" he said.

"I just wondered if you could tell us something about the druids and Old Religion." She asked with an eager tone in her voice.

Merlin had underestimated her. He had been careful not to mention the Old Religion directly, but apparently she was smart enough to put all the pieces together when she was faced with a mystery.

"The Old religion" he said. "How do you know about that?" He thought it was better to first find out how much they knew before he said too much.

"We were searching about the druids in the library today, Harry and me. And I found a book that stated that they used a wand less magic of the Old Religion; the same magic that the great Merlin used."

Merlin involuntarily flinched a bit when they used his real name and quickly covered it up by scratching his neck. But what he didn't notice was that Harry got a curious look after that when he looked at him.

"You said that the magic the druids used was declining and that very few living druids today can use it. But you can. And I also read that it is a very powerful form of magic, much more powerful than today's magic. Which must mean that you are powerful even if you can only use a few spells" she finished.

Merlin decided to at least tell them part of the truth. He couldn't deny Hermione's statements and maybe they would feel satisfied and stop digging if he told them more.

"You are right" he said. "I am powerful, at least when compared to other Old Religion followers. But when it comes to new magic I'm no more powerful then you" he lied.

"To use the magic of the Old Religion is different than using new magic with a wand. Old magic flows freely thru your veins which allow you to access it without a wand, while new magic is more centred around your heart and much harder to access without something to channel it through. But at the same time they are different. Not all people with old magic have the power to use new magic and vice versa."

"The only reason I can use both is because my mother wasn't a druid like my father. She was a squib, but her brother had magic. He was the one that taught me. So I inherited the old magic from my father and the new magic from my mother."

"But I was telling the truth when I said that the magic of the Old Religion was declining. Fewer and fewer people can use it and even less knows how or that they even have the ability. It is so weak they can go their whole life without realising they have magic. And the fewer people that practise the weaker it gets. It's an unbalance that must be restored. If only I knew how" he sighed.

"Wow mate" Ron said.

"You really do know a lot about magic do you?" Hermione said. "Did you live with the druids before you went to live with your uncle?"

"No not really" he said. "They don't have communities any longer so everything I know I learned from my father" he lied. "He didn't live with me and my mum but I did spend a few weeks from time to time with him to learn about the druids. When he died my mother thought it best that I went to live with my uncle. I was sixteen at the time and I spent almost ten years with him before he died."

"How did they die?"

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. "You can't just ask something like that".

"It's okay Hermione. I don't mind" he said a bit tired. "My father died by some bandits when out on a camping trip. I never found out why. My uncle died from old age. He was quite a bit older then my mum."

"Do you live with your mum now?" Harry asked.

"No, I don't want to put her in unnecessary danger during this time. It is better that nobody knows that she is involved with wizards; keeps her under the radar from the death eaters. I live on my own. I had actually rented a room in Hogsmead for a few weeks when I noticed that you needed help." He said.

"So I decided to try and help since I was so close." He looked at Harry when he said the next bit. "But unfortunately I was too late and I'm sorry about that."

"You have nothing to feel sorry for" Harry said. "It wasn't your fault."

"Who is Arthur?" Ron suddenly said.

"What, how do you know that name?" Merlin was shocked. How had they found out about that name?

"You said it in your sleep right before you woke up yesterday"

"Oh, umm it's an old friend of mine and I don't really want to talk about it" he said and stood up. "I'm sorry but I have to go and talk to Professor Dumbledore about something." And with that he walked away and out from the great hall without waiting for a reply and discreetly wiped away a tear from his left eye.

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><p>"I wonder what that was about" Ron said with his mouth full of food.<p>

"Really Ron" Hermione said and looked at him with a slightly disgusted look. "You clearly upset him. Something bad must have happened to Arthur and Marcus feels really bad about it."

"How can you tell?" Ron asked when he had swallowed.

"We were talking about the death of his father and uncle and he barely showed any sign of grief but you mention Arthur and he storms of without a backwards glance" she stated.

"But what do you think about what he told us about the Old religion?" Harry interrupted them before they got a chance to start an argument.

"He does seem to know a lot about it" Hermione said.

"Yeah but do you think he can be trusted. I just got the feeling he wasn't telling us everything" Harry said. And he had noticed how Marcus had flinched when Hermione had mentioned Merlin's name. What was that about?

"I guess we just have to wait and see" Ron said. "Did you know that Dumbledore asked him if he wanted to attend Hogwarts next year and that he accepted?"

"No" Hermione and Harry said at the same time.

"Yes" Ron said. "And apparently Dumbledore also asked him if he wanted to stay at the Burrows during the summer. Wouldn't that be amazing? He can teach us spells from the Old Religion."

"I highly doubt you would get away with that." Hermione said. "And besides, Dumbledore probably asked because he wanted to keep a closer eye on him. Which probably means that Dumbledore doesn't trust him either?"

"But why doesn't he make him stay at Grimmauld place instead?" Harry asked. "I mean isn't that safer with the Order to watch over him?"

"I don't think the Order will use Grimmauld place for a while" Hermione said apologetically to him. "Not after, you know. They will probably use the Burrow as a temporary headquarter for a while."

"Oh, of course" Harry said. He had actually forgotten about Sirius for a little while. But know the grief was hitting him like a tidal wave again and he felt very tired.

"I feel tired" he said. "I think I will go back to the common room and rest."

"We're coming with you" Ron said and together all three stood up and headed up to the Gryffindor common room.

* * *

><p>Merlin walked aimlessly in the corridors without a real destination in sight. He had told the others that he would go and talk to Professor Dumbledore but he wasn't sure he was up for it. Ron's mention of Arthur had brought the dream vision back to his mind and he felt really confused.<p>

For the first time in centuries he felt lost. He was swimming in the deep end and he wasn't sure what to do to stay afloat. He was still contemplating if he should go and stay at the Burrows during the summer or not.

He was positive that Hermione would try and ask him more about the Old Religion and it would be harder to hide in the Burrows. He had seen the house in the crystals so he knew how full it was with people. He knew that while at Hogwarts he would be able to get some privacy but that wasn't until next school year and the summer was long.

But he also knew that it was mostly fear that stopped him from accepting. Fear of losing and fear of feeling. But in the end he knew that there was only one option. So he turned around and headed towards the Headmasters office.

Eventually he stood in front of a gargoyle that indicated the entrance to the office. It was still in the same place as last time Merlin had been at Hogwarts, luckily. It would have been embarrassing if he had walked here just to end up in an empty corridor.

Merlin didn't know the password so he knocked on the gargoyle. To his surprise it moved aside and revealed the staircase. He jumped up on the first step when it started to move and soon he was outside the door. He walked right in without knocking; years of doing the same in Camelot had stayed with him. He never was one to show any particular respect for others, whether they were nobles or teachers, unless he felt that they deserved it.

Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, and he looked up from his paperwork when the door opened. Merlin could see that he was a bit surprised but he quickly masked it. 'Maybe the gargoyle wasn't meant to jump aside just by knocking it' Merlin thought.

"Ah, Mr Embrose, what owes me the pleasure?" Dumbledore asked.

"I wanted to tell you that I've decided to accept your offer and stay with the Weasley's during the summer" Merlin replied.

"Good, good" Dumbledore said. "But there is something else you want to talk to me about isn't there?" he asked with a twinkle.

"Yes there is" Merlin said. "I want my staff back Professor" he said with a calm and neutral voice. His deep blue eyes piercing into Dumbledore's owns.

"Yes I believe I forgot to give it to you" he said without breaking eye contact.

Merlin had to try hard not to snort at that. He knew that it was no coincidence that Dumbledore had "forgotten" to give it back. He just wanted to examine it.

"I must say Mr Embrose that I have never seen a staff like this before. What exactly is it?"

'Good' Merlin thought. 'That means he hasn't been able to read the inscription'.

"It's just an old family heirloom. It is a druid staff but it doesn't have any power anymore. I use it as a walking stick. But it is the only thing I have left from my father" he lied.

Dumbledore just nodded and after giving the staff one more look-over, he handed it over to Merlin.

"Thank you sir" Merlin said when he had the staff in his hands. "There was one more thing though Professor. Where am I going to sleep tonight?"

"We have arranged a separate chamber for you Mr Embrose" Dumbledore said. "I was actually about to send Professor McGonagall for you. She will show you your living quarters."

And just then the door opened and in walked Professor McGonagall.

"Minerva, can you please show Mr Embrose here to the chamber on the second floor?"

"Of course professor." She said. "Mr Embrose, come with me."

She walked out from the office and Merlin followed after. After a while they came to a stop in front of a portrait on the second floor. It was portraying an old man with a long beard that eerily reminded him of his Dragoon disguise. McGonagall turned to Merlin when she spoke.

"Behind this wall is an old living quarter for a teacher. But it hasn't been used in years and since you don't yet belong to a house we thought it better to place you here for the rest of the week. When you open the portrait you can change the password yourself by placing your hand on the back and say the password three times in your head. Do you understand?"

Merlin nodded an answer and he opened the portrait. He placed his right hand on the back and said Aithusa three times in his head. He thanked Professor McGonagall and closed the door and looked over the room. It was quite a spacious room. 'Maybe Dumbledore was trying to bribe him a little' he thought and chuckled to himself.

Right inside of the door was a little lobby where he could hang up his jacket. Then directly to the right was a door that led to a bathroom that had a big bathtub on the left wall. Straight forward on the wall was the toilet and a sink with a big mirror.

Straight forward in the lobby was an open archway that led to a living room with a big red sofa facing the opposite wall where a fireplace was situated. And on both sides of the sofa were armchairs. And in front of the sofa was a dark brown coffee table. The wall to the right had a big bookshelf full with books. And the wall to the left had a big painting of Hogwarts and the grounds. It was full of tiny people walking in and out from the castle and even the big octopus in the black lake could be seen from time to time. It really was quite detailed and beautiful.

On the left in the lobby was a door that led to a bedroom with a big four poster bed in the middle with blue drapes. On the left was a desk with a chair and on the right was a table with four chairs used for small meetings. On the right, on the same wall as the door, was a fireplace. All in all, the bedroom reminded him of a less luxurious variant of Arthur's chambers in Camelot.

Merlin felt really tired so without more than take of his shoes, he climbed up on the bed and fell asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**I hope you liked it and please let my know if you have any ideas of your own that you would like to happen. I already have a plot line made but there is a lot of things that can happen in between my major things. I can't promise I will use your idea, if you give me one, but I also can't promise that I will not use it. If you understand what I mean.**

**Anyway, happy weekend everybody.**


	7. The One About the Prophecy

**A/N**

**So here comes the latest chapter. I hope you will like it. But first I want to thank all those that reviewed the last chapter.**

**IndiaMoore** (Yes she is quite clever),** IStalkMyFandoms** (Thank you),** Kallie01** (Thank you for pointing it out), **Whenithitsthefan** (Tack så mycket),** Zoe** (I can't make any promises),** IfINeverKnew** (Thank you and I hope you like the latest chapter),** DarkDOLLYumi** (Thank you very much. It feels good to hear),** mokana-au-chocopych** (I guess you'll have to wait and see)** and Goldenseal **(Thank you).

**Now on with the story**

**PS. One of the dialogues in this chapter is taken directly from the series. **Bonus points to those who can tell me when the dialogue was used in the series and why.****

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><p><strong>Chapter 5 The One About the Prophecy<strong>

Harry woke up the next morning feeling rested for the first time this week. The grief still hung over him like a cloud but it was more manageable and he hadn't had a nightmare during the night.

He sat up in bed and noticed that all the others were still asleep, so he decided to dress quietly and head downstairs to eat breakfast alone. He still wasn't sure if he preferred to be alone or in company with others. He figured that it would probably take a few weeks before he felt normal again.

He hadn't told Ron and Hermione about the prophecy yet and he wasn't entirely sure that he should. The burden was big enough on him; could he really place that burden on them to?

Eventually he made it down to the common room without waking anybody. The common room was empty and the fire had long since burned out. He climbed out of the portrait hole and headed down to the great hall.

Except for a few ghosts and a distant sound from Peeves, Harry didn't meet anyone on the way. He thought he would be alone in the great hall, but when he walked in he saw Marcus sitting at the Gryffindor table reading the Daily Prophet.

"Anything interesting?" he asked when he sat down opposite him.

"Nothing worth mentioning" Marcus mumbled back, before he looked up at Harry and smiled.

"Good morning Harry" he said. "You're up early."

"I could say the same thing for you" Harry pointed out.

Marcus chuckled a little before answering. "Yeah well, I always get up at dawn. It's a habit of mine from when I lived with my uncle. What's your excuse?"

"I guess I couldn't sleep any longer that's all. I just feel so... I don't know how I feel to be honest." Harry didn't know why it felt so easy to talk to Marcus. It was just something about him that made Harry trust him and open up. But he still felt that he was keeping secrets from them.

"Is it about the prophecy?" Marcus asked.

"H-how do you know about the prophecy?" Harry stuttered out. He was shocked. That was the last thing he thought he would hear.

"The crystal" Marcus said silently. "When I saw the vision of the ministry, I also saw the prophecy."

He gave Harry a look of; was it sympathy and understanding? It was like he knew exactly what Harry was going thru. Then it looked like he was having an inner dialogue in his head, like he was trying to decide something.

"I'm going to tell you something that I once told a friend of mine" Marcus said eventually. "Destinies... are troublesome things. You feel trapped, like your whole life has been planned out for you, and you've got no control over anything. And sometimes you don't even know if what destiny has decided is... really the best thing at all." He ended the small speech and looked at Harry with a pained and sad look.

"I know what you're going thru, more than you can ever understand. And I'm telling you that the best thing is not to shut yourself of from others. Your friends are the most important thing for you right now. Without them you will drown in your own despair. Trust me I know."

And with that he stood up and began to walk away but after a few steps he turned around to a stunned and speechless Harry. "It was nice talking to you Harry, even if I did most of the talking" he added with a small grin. "See you around Harry."

Harry wasn't sure what to think anymore. He had only known Marcus for a few days but he could already feel that he could trust him with everything. It was like he gave out an aura of wisdom and comfort at the same time. And the speech he had given Harry was like it was taken from his own experience.

Harry wondered if the friend Marcus claimed he had given the advice to before could be Arthur. He made a mental note to himself that he would find out more about this Arthur in the future. He just had to do it in steps.

Eventually the hall filled with students but Harry barely noticed it; he was so deep in thoughts. So when Ron suddenly sat down beside him, he almost jumped of his seat.

"Mate, what's the problem?" Ron asked.

"Nothing, just tired" Harry lied.

"I can tell that it isn't nothing, Harry" Hermione said as she sat down opposite them, where Marcus sat before. "You know you can tell us anything."

Harry sighed. He thought about what Marcus had said about friends being the most important thing right now and decided that he should tell them about the prophecy.

"There something I must tell you" he started. "But not here. I don't want anyone else to hear."

So after Hermione and Ron had eaten their breakfast, the trio headed down to the lake. Whilst there Harry told them everything about the prophecy and what Marcus had told him the same morning.

They talked a bit about the prophecy after that, and what it all meant. But eventually, as the sun was beginning to climb down and dinner was around the corner, they came to the topic of Marcus.

"Do you think he has had a prophecy of his own or something?" Ron asked.

"Maybe" Hermione said. "At least he seems to be very knowledgeable in the subject. Maybe you should try and talk to him more about it Harry? If he's staying at the Burrow during the summer you can try to make him talk. Maybe we can ask him more about the Old Religion to?"

"Yeah maybe" Harry said.

"What do you think he has been doing today?" Ron asked. "I mean, we haven't seen him all day, well not we at least" he said and indicated to himself and Hermione.

"He has probably been walking around the castle" Hermione said. "We should go back to the castle ourselves now. It's almost dinner time."

And with that, Ron stood up with a speed Harry only saw him do when there was talk about food.

The trio made it to the great hall, expecting to see Marcus there, but he was nowhere to be seen. He didn't show up at all during dinner and when they were one of the last ones left, they decided to head up to the common room.

They never got a chance to talk more about the prophecy and Marcus, because the common room was filled with people that was cheering that the lasts exams was done at they would be getting home in two days. So instead they joined in the festivities and Harry didn't think more about it until the next day.

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><p>Merlin had indeed spent the day walking around the castle. He had cast a delusion charm on himself to make him invisible to others. He didn't want to be disturbed. He had started walking around without the charm but after a while he noticed someone following him. He hadn't met him before but Merlin knew who it was.<p>

It was Severus Snape. He remembered him from the crystals. He was a double agent for Dumbledore, but he was also the one responsible for delivering the prophecy to Voldemort. He had seen how he treated Harry and couldn't help but feel a little resentment for that, but he also knew that he had a troubled soul and that he was really brave. He had felt great loss.

Merlin sneaked in an empty classroom and quickly cast the charm on himself before Snape noticed he had walked off. He stepped out from the classroom and saw Snape looking around without seeing him. Grinning to himself, Merlin walked away and left the confused Snape behind.

After walking around for a couple of hours he decided to head to the Room of Requirement, it was after all his own creation. When he came there he noticed that it had been used frequently the last few months, and in the back of his head he remembered about the secret DADA group.

He snickered to himself when he thought about it. They had for several months fought against the ministry under their very nose.

Merlin conjured up a room and walked in when the door appeared. The room looked just like Gaius' chambers in Camelot. It was just as he had remembered it with glass vials of potions everywhere and books spread about the room. He spent the rest of the day there, just remembering and reading books.

When he checked his clock, he noticed that it was almost midnight. So he quickly packed up the books and headed back to his chambers for the night.

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><p>The next day passed almost the same way for Merlin. He ate breakfast alone; Harry didn't show up this time, and headed back up to the Room of Requirement. But this time he went down for dinner and saw Umbridge trying to sneak off without anyone noticing.<p>

That didn't go exactly as she had liked. A few students saw her and told others and soon everybody knew. It ended up that she had to run away in terror. And maybe, just maybe, Merlin had cast an innocent spell himself that might, or might not, make her grow a horsetail.

When he came in the great hall Ron, Harry and Hermione was already seated so he decided to sit further down the table. He didn't feel like talking to them right at the moment. Tomorrow they would be heading to the Weasley's and so he thought that he could at least get one last evening alone. They really did talk a lot, and the questions. He just couldn't take more questions right know.

That didn't go exactly as planned because when he was heading back to his chambers after dinner he was cornered by the trio.

"Hey there mate" Ron said as they stopped him just below the stairs up to the second floor. "We haven't seen you the whole day."

"I have been walking around the castle" Merlin answered. "You know, trying to get my bearings of the place. I going to attend school here next year so I thought I might as well start finding my way around."

"You should have told us" Hermione said. "We could have shown you around and tell you the history of the place."

"Yeah I didn't think about that" he said with a grin and a small shrug of his shoulders.

"So what do you think of the castle then?" Ron asked.

"The castle, oh it's very nice, haven't seen anything like it before." Which technically was only a half lie? Camelot had been just as grand, if not grander, but he hadn't been in a magical castle before.

They seemed to like the answer and Merlin noticed them exchanging looks before Ron asked the next question.

"So you've decided to come live with my family then? It will be brilliant. You can teach us all kinds of spells."

Merlin had just enough time to nod before Hermione interrupted his answer.

"Don't be ridiculous Ronald. I've told you already. Mrs Weasley would find out immediately if you tried anything like that" Hermione said.

"She's right" Merlin said. "Besides, I will probably spend most of summer trying to learn some wand spells and the history of this place" he finished with a smile. He could see Hermione light up at his words.

"Be careful what you wish for mate" Ron said when he saw Hermione's expression. "Hermione here won't leave you alone now. She will try and teach you everything she knows."

"I don't think that will be a problem" he said with a smile. "I like learning new things."

Merlin couldn't help but notice that she blushed a little at his smiles. He just hoped that she didn't think anything else about it.

"I would gladly teach you everything about Hogwarts and spells" Hermione said to him with a small smile of her own.

"Great, so now that that have been established" Ron interrupted again. "Where are you heading?"

"Umm I was actually heading back to my chambers for the night."

"Oh okay" Harry said. He had been quiet the entire conversation. "We are heading back to our common room as well. But we'll see you tomorrow yeah? Will you be riding the train with us?"

"Yes I will. Good night then" he said and they finally let him walk up the stairs, but he could feel their eyes at the back of his neck.

* * *

><p>"Did he seem shifty to you?" Ron asked when they watched Marcus walking away.<p>

"A bit yeah" Harry answered.

"Maybe he just isn't used to being around other people" Hermione said.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"I mean that he has spent the last months alone after his uncle died. And who knows how many people he lived with before that. Maybe it was only him and his uncle. He's probably a bit overwhelmed by the amount of people in the castle."

"I hadn't thought about it like that" Harry admitted.

"Yeah well, now that you know we should try and make him feel comfortable and accepted" she said. "He seems so lonely and sad sometimes when you look at him. It's like he has gone thru a lot. You can see it in his eyes" she said with a small sigh.

"You are just saying that because you think he's hot" Ron joked.

"Oh shut up Ronald. You are so insensitive." She said and stormed of, but Harry could see that she was blushing.

"What did I do?" Ron said frustrated and Harry just shrugged. "Women" he muttered to himself while he and Harry followed Hermione back to the common room.

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><p><strong>AN**

**I hope you liked it and have a great week.**


	8. The One Where They Leave Hogwarts

**A/N**

**Thank you to all that reviewed.**

**DarkDOLLYumi **(Thank you), **Guest **(You where right about the dialogue. I also loved that part and yes the irony, again.), **IndiaMoore **(Thank you for liking it and for letting me know if I've made spelling errors. Please continue with it since I don't have a beta.), **stephanie. weithous **(You were also correct about the dialouge. Great job.), **IStalkMyFandoms **(Thank you), **whenithitsthefan **(Tack så mycket)

**A special thank you to Hickarimaichan for being my 100th follower. Let's give her/him a big whoop whoop.**

**PS.**

**I didn't have the energy to proofread before updating today so if you find any spelling errors, please let me know. The weather is really bad here. It's rainy and grey and just typical autumn. On the plus side, my sister visited today and she gave me all her DVD's. So now my bookshelf is almost completely full. She also let me borrow her Harry Potter Box with all eight movies on Blu-ray. Guess who's gonna have a marathon? **

**Anyway, on with the story.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6 The One Where They Leave Hogwarts<strong>

They didn't see Marcus the next day until the train was almost beginning to start. He jogged quickly up to the train with his backpack and a trunk. Harry remembered that he had mentioned that he had stayed at the Three Broomsticks before. He had probably picked up his trunk from there.

Shortly after Ron and Hermione saw him too.

"Marcus" Ron called. "Over here."

"Hey nice clothes" some guy called after him. They didn't see who but Harry saw Marcus look around with something like recognition in his eyes, before he turned back around towards the train.

Marcus waved to them and climbed up the train and after placing his trunk with the others he opened their compartment and sat down beside Harry and Luna. Ron, Hermione and Neville sat opposite them.

"Oh hello, I don't think we have met before" he said to Luna and Neville with a huge grin. "I'm Marcus Embrose." He stretched out his hand for them to shake and then leaned back in the seat a little out of breath from the jog.

"Hi I'm Neville Longbottom." Neville said with a shy smile and then quickly looked down on the floor.

"I'm Luna" Luna said with the dreamy look she so often had. "You shouldn't run so fast, it makes it easier for the Nargels to enter your head through your mouth." She then turned to her newspaper that she was reading upside down.

"Excuse me?" Marcus asked with a confused look.

"Don't mind her mate" Ron said while shaking his head from silent laughter.

"Okaay" Marcus said, still looking extremely confused. "So how long does this train ride take?" he asked.

"Around three hours" Ron answered. "Why?"

"Oh ehm, I just don't like trains that much that's all."

"How come, did something happen?" Hermione asked. Harry could tell that she was discretely trying to find out about more about Marcus and as an extension, Arthur.

"No, nothing has happened. I just don't feel comfortable onboard trains. They are too fast."

Harry had to stifle a laugh when he saw Hermione's disappointed expression. That didn't go as she had planned.

"Don't worry about it mate" Ron said. "It will be over in no time. Do you want to play some wizards chess?"

"I have never played wizards chess before. Are the rules different from regular chess, because that I am pretty good at" Marcus said with a challenging look.

"The only difference is that the piece moves" Ron explained and took out his set.

"Where is your staff?" Harry asked. He just remembered that he never saw Marcus carry it.

Harry could have sworn that Marcus seemed worried before he answered. But it was gone so fast that he wasn't sure if he had imagined it.

"I left it at the castle. It's too big to carry around everywhere."

"I thought it was a walking stick" Hermione chirped in.

"It is but I don't think I will need it during the summer."

And with that Marcus turned back towards Ron, who had now finished setting up the chess game.

The rest of the train ride consisted of watching Ron and Marcus playing wizard's chess while Hermione and Neville was talking and Luna was reading. They were both really good and won one set each. The third one took longer and when the train pulled in at King's cross, they were long from finished.

"I guess we haft to continue this back at your place" Marcus said and took up a piece of paper and held it atop of the chess game. "Just so we don't forget" he explained when he saw Ron's confused look.

Then he held his other hand atop of the paper and recited a spell. But it was with a spell that Harry had never heard before and he didn't use a wand.

"**_Áwrítan tæfl_**" he said and his eyes flashed golden.

Seconds later the chess game was effectively copied onto the paper.

"Merlin's beard, what was that?" Ron exclaimed.

"It was just a simple copy spell" Marcus said with a shrug. "Didn't feel like writing it all down when I could just copy it like this."

Harry was stunned. He looked over to Hermione and saw that she was just as impressed as him. She stared at Marcus with her mouth slightly open, unable to form words. Harry suspected that he had the same expression on his face.

"Was that the Old Magic?" Hermione asked once she had regained her composure.

"Yes, but it was only a simple spell. Nothing to get excited about" Marcus explained quickly. He looked nervous.

"W-what language was that?" Neville stuttered; face all red from nervousness.

"It was Old English. Druids don't use Latin spells."

Neville nodded and turned his attention to his hands that lay in his lap.

"Can you speak Old English fluently?" Hermione asked.

"Yes I can. My father taught me but that doesn't mean I know many spells. The words can be right but if you don't have enough magic you won't be able to evoke the power behind the words. But my father thought it would be good for me to learn the language even if I can't use it fully."

"Oh okay. But what did does words mean that you used now?"

"Just 'copy game', nothing fancy" he said with a grin.

"We should probably get off the train now" Luna said. "Or maybe we could stay and go back to Hogwarts. That would be lovely."

They all stood up then and began walking off the train. But Harry could see on Hermione that she was disappointed that they weren't able to continue the conversation.

* * *

><p>Merlin was really glad when the train finally pulled in at the station. It wasn't like he hadn't ridden a train before; he had been in America actually when the first train was invented damn it. But he never got used to the speed, he preferred to walk or ride a horse, over cars and trains. And don't get started on planes. He hated planes. If you had ever ridden a dragon, then a plane was a huge let-down. And they were also to uncomfortable, to small leg room.<p>

And the conversations on the train had him worried to. First Harry just had to ask him about the staff. What should he say; 'Oh I just decided to turn my staff into a wand so I won't look suspicious when I decide to perform wand magic during the summer'. He could just imagine the look on Harry's face if he had said that and just managed to turn his laugh into a cough before it broke out.

"Are you alright mate?"

It was Ron. Merlin liked Ron, he reminded him of Arthur a bit. 'Maybe I should teach him some spells. It could be fun' he mused. When he saw Ron's questioning look he remember that he hadn't answered his question.

"I'm peachy, just needed to clear my throat."

Ron didn't look convinced but Merlin had already gone back to his thoughts about earlier. He shouldn't have used that spell. It just made Hermione more suspicious, but he really didn't want to copy it by hand. 'Can't I be lazy once without it coming back to me' he thought irritated.

Merlin was so deep in his own thoughts, as usual, that he didn't notice the people waiting for them until Ron stopped in front of him and he walked right into him and effectively knocked Ron down on the ground and himself following after.

"Ouch I'm sorry Ron. I didn't noticed that you stopped." He quickly got to his feet and reached out his hand to Ron.

"It's alright" Ron said with a grin when he took Merlin's hand. "But I would appreciate it if you didn't use me as your cushion next time you fall."

"Can't make any promises" he said with an even bigger grin than Ron. Then they both burst out in laughter. They didn't stop until someone cleared his voice higher than was necessary. It was obviously just to get their attention.

When Merlin turned towards the coughing man he noticed seven people staring at him. One scary looking man with a hat that didn't quite cover his scarred face; he was the one that had coughed. A woman with bright pink hair and a friendly smile, a tired looking man with hair just beginning to turn grey, two identical red headed boys that seemed to be a few years older than Ron and lastly one red headed man and one red headed woman that seemed to be a couple.

"Marcus this is my mum and dad" Ron gestured towards the red-headed couple. The woman was a bit plum but she had a friendly face and a motherly aura around here. The man was tall and he looked tired but at the same time curious and eager.

"Nice to meet you Mr and Mrs Weasley" he said and offered his hand. "I'm Marcus Embrose but just call me Marcus. I really appreciate you letting me live with you over the summer. It means a lot."

"It's no problem dear" Mrs Weasley said. "Dumbledore told us about your back-story and that you helped Harry and my Ron here. Of course we'll help you in any way we can."

"I actually never managed to help Harry" Merlin started but they didn't listen and instead told him how brave he must be and that he really should eat more. 'He's only skin and bone' Mrs Weasley had said to Mr Weasley while Ron was silently laughing beside him.

Merlin didn't think he was just skin and bone. He actually thought he had buffed up a lot during his last years at Camelot; with a little help from Gwaine actually. He had secretively trained him. And the one thankful thing about being immortal was that he didn't have to train anymore. It wasn't just his age that had stopped, but his physic as well. He was just glad that Mrs Weasley hadn't seen him when he first came to Camelot. He really was just skin and bone then.

"Mum maybe we should introduce him to the others" Ron finally interrupted. 'What took him so long?' Merlin thought. 'Didn't he see my plea for help? Maybe I haft to train more on that expression'.

"Yes of course dear. Why don't you introduce him?" Mrs Weasley said with a smile and then immediately engulfed Harry in a hug.

"I'm sorry about that" Ron said as they walked over to the others.

"Why didn't you stop her sooner? I thought she was going to start force feed me then and there."

"Yeah I know" Ron said and then his face burst out in a huge grin. "It was hilarious."

Merlin was about to make a witty retort when they were interrupted by the pink haired woman.

"Hello there" she said a reach out her hand. "I'm Nymphadora Tonks but just call me Tonks."

"And I'm Remus Lupin" the tired looking man said. He too reached out his hand for Merlin to shake.

"I'm Marcus Embrose but just Marcus is fine." He said as he shook their hands.

"This scary looking man here is Alastor Moody" Tonks said with a cheeky grin.

Merlin could tell that this was a man that deserved respect so when he reached out his hand for Moody he took on his "meeting the king" stance. So with a slight nod of his head he introduced himself.

"Good evening Mr Moody. I'm Marcus Embrose but you can call me Marcus."

The others seemed a bit taken aback by his sudden change in behaviour but Moody took his hand as if it was perfectly normal for him to be greeted that way.

Before Merlin could engage in a conversation with him Ron dragged him away towards the twins.

"This is my brothers Fred and George" Ron introduced him.

"Hello I'm..."

"We know who you are" Fred interrupted him with a mischievous grin.

"You are the guy that likes to run around in the forbidden forest as an old man" George continued with an equally mischievous grin.

"He doesn't look old now or what do you think George?"

"No he don't Fred"

"Maybe he used a potion?"

"Yes and maybe he'd be willing to give us the recipe?"

They ended the conversation and looked expectantly at Merlin.

"Excuse me? You want me to give you the ageing potion?" Merlin said with a hint of humour and sarcasm. "Of course I can do that. It would be my pleasure"

"Really?" They said in unison.

"Really?" Ron said.

Merlin glanced at Ron and sighed. 'The lack of detecting sarcasm apparently runs in the genes' he thought.

"Of course not, what do you think? That I will just hand over a potion to two, to me, complete strangers? What do you want it for anyway?"

The twins looked disappointed for a second before they got their mischievousness back.

"We run a joke shop" Fred started.

"And a potion that could turn you old would sell really well. Ha that rhymed" George laughed.

"I don't know, let me think about it" Merlin said. Of course he wouldn't give them the potion. In all fairness, there didn't even exist a potion. It was a spell. But he wanted to get to know the twins more. If Ron reminded him a bit of Arthur, then those two reminded him of Gwaine, a lot. And that joke shop sounded fun.

"Of course" George said.

"We will give you two..." Fred started

"Maybe three weeks" George continued.

"Harry's birthday"

"Yes until Harry's birthday."

And with that they walked away and left Merlin alone with Ron.

"Those two are something... I can't really put my finger on it."

"They leave that impression on everyone they meet" Ron said grinning.

"You two hurry up, we're leaving" Tonks called to them.

They joined the others and walked thru the barrier to the muggle world. Merlin walked thru last and when he came out he saw Harry staring at a couple with a child the same age as Harry. Merlin remembered them from the crystals; it was the Dursley's. He had to contain himself not to show the anger he felt inside when he saw them.

But before Harry walked over to them Mr Weasley and Moody went up to them. He couldn't hear what they said but the Dursley's seemed scared when they were done.

Harry turned around to face the group.

"Well goodbye then."

"See you soon Harry" Ron said.

"Really soon" Hermione said.

Harry said goodbye to everyone and when he came to Merlin he hesitated a bit.

"Goodbye to you too Marcus" he said.

"It was nice meeting you Harry. I just hope that next time will be under better circumstances."

Harry nodded in agreement and went over to the Dursley's and Merlin watched his back as he walked away. Soon he had disappeared in the crowd on the station and Merlin turned his attention back on the group.

"I should go to" Hermione said. "My parents are waiting over there." She nodded towards a couple that stood and watched them curiously.

"Goodbye Hermione" Ron said and gave her a quick hug. "See you in a few weeks."

"Yeah see you soon Ron" She turned towards Merlin then. "Goodbye Marcus, I hope I will get the chance to get to know you more in a few weeks" she said and Merlin could see her blush a little.

"I hope so too" he said with a small smile. And then she to walk away with her parents.

"We will leave too. I guess you can make it home okay alone" Moody said to Mr and Mrs Weasley.

"Don't worry, we will be okay" Mrs Weasley said. "It was nice of you to come with us here."

"It's no problem at all Molly" Remus said. And then Remus, Tonks and Moody left. Leaving Merlin alone with the Weasley's.

* * *

><p>They walked out of the station and into an alleyway a bit away. There Mr Weasley reached out his wand and with a bang a big purple bus was standing in front of them. The knight bus. Merlin had taken the knight bus a few times and it wasn't exactly something that he enjoyed. If a train was bad, it was nothing compared to this bus.<p>

But he walked onboard and sat down, and after only ten minutes they stopped outside a big house on the countryside.

"Welcome to the Burrow mate" Ron said as they had stepped off the bus.

'The Burrow' Merlin thought as he looked at the house. 'A fitting name' he thought as he made his way towards the house. He followed Ron into the house and the kitchen.

"You will stay in Percy's old room dear" Mrs Weasley told him when she entered the house after them. "Ron will show you were it is."

"Thank you Mrs Weasley. I really appreciate all you do for me. I hope I can repay in some way."

"Nonsense, it's a pleasure to have you here. No problem at all. Now of you go" she said and shooed them away.

Ron showed Merlin the way to Percy's room. 'Probably named after Percival since his father's name is Arthur' Merlin thought. 'Too bad he hasn't lived up to the name' he thought sadly.

After Merlin had left his trunk and bag in the room, they returned downstairs to the living room where they continued their chess game. Merlin won much to the annoyance for Ron. After that they ate dinner where Ron introduced him to his brother Bill and his girlfriend Fleur Delacour. Apparently they had met through his job at Gringotts. Merlin could tell almost immediately that the youngest Weasley, Ginny, didn't like her.

At first he hadn't recognised her but when Ron told him that she had been a part of the Triwizard tournament, he remembered her in the visions.

After dinner the twins decided to leave for their store at Diagon Alley and Merlin decided to retire back to his room. Claiming he was tired and wanted to read a little before going to bed. Truthfully he just wanted to be alone. The day had been tiring and full of new impressions. It wasn't that he hadn't met new people before, but this was the first time that they all had wanted to met and talk to him. He felt a bit overwhelmed with emotions, especially gratitude and happiness.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Merlin stood in his window and looked down over the garden, where the gnomes ran around, and the fields that stretched for miles outside the Burrow. He couldn't help but feel happy for the first time in decades. They where all so nice to him and he could already feel his barriers lift from his heart. 'Maybe' he thought when he laid down to sleep. 'Maybe I will be able to tell them the truth someday'. And with that thought he fell asleep.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**The spell used in this chapter is my own. I used a site that translates modern English to old English. I used two separate words and then just put them together. So if there are any old English speakers out there, I apologise for any misuse of the words.**

**_Áwrítan tæfl_ = Copy, game**


	9. The One Where Ron Opens Up

**A/N**

**I'm sorry that I didn't update last week, but I've been so busy with cleaning out my parents storage and adjoining carport that it took me two weeks to write one chapter. I blame the tiredness i felt every time I sat down in the evenings. The good news is that I will probably be finished tomorrow so it shouldn't happen again for some time. But you can't imagine how much stuff we had just laying around, phew =S**

**Anyway, I want to thank everyone that has reviewed, followed and favourite this story.**

**DarkDOLLYumi **(Thank you)**, icedragonfirebird **(Thank you)**, Lady Flurryous **(Thank you for your suggestions)**, whenithitsthefan **(Tack så mycket)**, Sparky199 **(Thank you)**, bookybookworm **(Thank you)**, mizzymel **(Thank you and here's your update)

**Now I want you all to give a big woo-ho to my new and very good BETA, _Crazy-about-books_, woo-ho. She has done a fantastic job and I hope you all will agree when you read the chapter.**

**Now on with the story.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7 <strong>**The One Where Ron Opens Up**

Merlin woke before everyone else the next day, so he decided to go out in the garden. It didn't take long before the gnomes came up to him; being able to sense his magic just like every other magical creatures.

"Hello." he said with a grin.

"Emrys." they all replied in chorus, at least that's what he thought they said. It had been a while since he had talked gnome. But then they bowed which convinced him further.

"No, no don't bow. Please, just don't." He said and waved his arms to make them stop. He didn't like getting praise for something he couldn't help. To him he was just Merlin and not this powerful Emrys the prophecy talked about.

"Emrys?" they all said again.

"Yes it's me, but please don't bow or the others will get suspicious. They don't know my true identity yet. Just eh, just treat me like you do anyone else." He said with a begging look.

The gnomes shared a look with each other before nodding and scurrying away. He was left alone on the grass where he sat and just relaxed; watching the fields. He didn't know how long he had sat there when he felt someone sitting down next to him.

He turned his head to the left, towards the new person, and saw that it was Ron.

"Mum wanted me to get you for breakfast." He said but didn't make a move to stand up. "It's relaxing out here isn't it?" he asked Merlin. He didn't face him; instead he continued to look out over the fields beyond the garden.

"Yes, it is." Merlin answered, he too looking out over the fields. He made a quick glance over at Ron and saw that he seemed upset about something. "What's the matter Ron? You seem upset."

"It's nothing." Ron said but he was chewing on his bottom lip.

"I can see that it's not _nothing_ Ron. Please tell me." He said and gave Ron a reassuring pat on his shoulder, and he could see Ron finally giving in.

"It's just that..." Ron started. He sighed before he continued. "This past year has been hard. Hell, these past _years_ have been hard. It's like each year just gets worse and I don't know if I can take it much longer... Harry is my friend and he needs my support, but how am I supposed to give it to him if I don't know how _I_ will cope with it all." He turned to Merlin when he was finished, and Merlin could see tears threatening to spill from his eyes which he hastily wiped away with his hands.

"I'm sorry; I don't know why I'm telling you this."

"It's okay, Ron" Merlin said and put his left arm around his shoulders. "Everyone feels this way from time to time. Is this the first time you've felt like this?"

"No." He said and turned toward Merlin. "I felt it last year when he returned. I just haven't told anyone before. I don't know why I told you now to be honest. I guess there's something about you that makes me open up. I don't know what it is." Ron said with a hint of a smile.

Merlin couldn't help but chuckle at that. When Ron gave him a confused look he clarified.

"You have no idea how many people have told me that. But you can trust me. I know we have only known each other for a few days, but I want to...I want to be your friend Ron" he said hesitantly. "I want to help you, Harry and the others anyway I can. And I'm sure that if you are honest to yourself about how you feel about these things, then nothing can stop you. There's nothing wrong with being scared. It's human. Just don't let it control you." He thought about Morgana. She had been scared which had then turned to anger and hate. And that only led to suffering for everyone around.

"We should probably go in before all the sausages get eaten" he said as he stood up.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want that." Ron grinned as he too stood up.

Merlin gave him a quick pat on the shoulder before heading into the kitchen and towards the sausages.

* * *

><p>The following days were quite uneventful for Merlin. After his talk with Ron he had decided to stay away from the others for a while. He had called Ron a friend, and deep inside he knew that he had meant it. Ron was his friend. It had shaken him a bit but after a few days alone he had come to terms with it. It actually felt quite nice. Maybe he had been worried for nothing.<p>

After two days spent alone in his room, he decided to join the others on the third. He had noticed during meal times that Ginny had gotten more and more frustrated with Fleur. She even called her Phlegm behind her back. Where she had gotten that from, he had no idea.

Ron had, opposite to Ginny, shown some attraction towards Fleur and he didn't appreciate Ginny's nickname. But Ginny wasn't the only one that didn't like Fleur; Mrs Weasley had also expressed some dislike when she wasn't around. Merlin just found it all amusing. 'I'm going to have some fun with that later.' he thought.

* * *

><p>After breakfast on the third day, Merlin decided to take Ron outside and talk to him.<p>

"Ron," Merlin said as he put a hand on Ron's left shoulder. "Would you like to join me outside? I want to talk to you."

"Sure." Ron said as he stood up from the table, and together they walked outside and sat at the backside of the house, the place in the garden where they had most privacy.

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

"First, I want to say sorry for being so antisocial the last couple of days."

"It's no problem" Ron said with wave of his hand.

"Please, let me finish." Merlin said as he stared pleadingly at Ron.

"It's just that I'm not used to having people around me all day long. I guess I needed time to get used to it." He sighed before he continued.

"I lived with my uncle for ten years and we travelled so much that I never settled down long enough to get friends. And now in the last few months since my uncle died I have lived alone. So it's a bit hard for me to open up and let others in." He stopped and turned away from Ron as he continued.

"I realised that I needed a few days to come to terms with everything. So that is why I have been cooped up on my room." He said as he looked down on his hands that he nervously twiddled in his lap.

"Oh," Ron said. "Don't worry about it, I understand."

Merlin looked up from his hands and met Ron's eyes. "You do?"

"Yes, as I said before; there's something about you that just makes me trust you. And plus, I can tell that you are a fun guy deep inside. You just have to let it out."

"Yeah, maybe I should let it out" he said with a small smile. "Thank you Ron for being so understanding. Do you talk with Harry and Hermione like this too?"

"No," Ron said with a snort. "Harry and I never really have the need to talk things out that much. And Hermione has said on several occasions that I have, and I quote, '_The emotional range of a teaspoon_'."

Merlin couldn't help but laugh out loud at that.

"She sounds funny" Merlin managed to get out between laughter.

"Yeah, she is sometimes, but it's never intentional" Ron said and grinned. "You know, Hermione actually told us that you were lonely and probably had trouble opening up." He continued with a more serious tone.

"She did?" Merlin asked confused.

"Yes. It was the other day after we cornered you outside of the Great Hall."

"Hmm... she must be good at reading people."

"Maybe." Ron said with a shrug.

Merlin wasn't sure what to think of Hermione anymore. He knew she was smart, but he had underestimated her several times already. He had perfected his facial expressions over the years, and not once had he shown his feelings outside. 'Or have I?' he thought. He did recall storming out when they had mentioned Arthur. Why had he done that? How could he have been so stupid? Now she was probably on a personal mission to figure out who Arthur was. 'Well I'm not giving it up that easy' he thought. Suddenly he was woken from his thoughts by a voice.

"Marcus?"

"What?"

"You spaced out for a moment there. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking." He said with a shrug. "You know what? How about we leave all the emotional talk behind us and do something fun?" He said with a grin.

"Sure" Ron said with an equally big grin. "What do you have in mind?"

"How about some chess? Are you up for some losing?" Merlin said with a huge grin.

"Sure" Ron said as he stood up. "But I won't be the one losing."

"Whatever you say" Merlin said as he winked and ran in. Ron followed shortly after.

* * *

><p>Hermione loved her parents, she really did. But there was only so much dentist talk you could take before it got too much. She couldn't help but feel exited to go to the Burrow earlier than was planned. She had been home for a week and a half now and to be honest, she had already gotten bored of dentist talk. Not that she would tell anyone that. Of course not.<p>

She hadn't told Ron she was coming; she thought it would be funnier to surprise him. Instead she had been talking to Ginny. They were friends after all. So when she jumped of the Knight Bus outside the Burrow, Ginny stood there and greeted her.

"Ginny, how good to see you" Hermione said and gave her a hug.

"It hasn't been that long, Hermione" Ginny said as they pulled apart.

"I know. I'm just so happy to be here. How are Ron and Marcus?"

"They are just fine actually. The first days Marcus mostly stayed in his room, but then one day he and Ron became practically inseparable." Ginny said as they walked towards the house.

"Really? I didn't know Ron liked him or that Marcus would willingly be with him. Not that there's anything wrong with Ron." She added when Ginny gave her a questioningly glare. "It's just that I'd gotten the impression that Marcus mostly wanted to be alone."

"I don't know what to say. We are all surprised. You just have to see for yourself. They are up in Ron's room." Ginny said as they got inside the house.

"Okay then I will go up and surprise them." Hermione said and turned towards the stairs.

* * *

><p>"I have been thinking and decided that I will teach you a few spells?" Merlin said to Ron, where he sat on Ron's bed reading a book about Quidditch.<p>

"Wow! Really?" Ron said surprised, where he sat on the floor and polished his broomstick.

"Yes" Merlin said while nodding.

"That would be awesome." Ron said and couldn't keep a huge smile from appearing on his face.

"So what do you want to know?" Merlin asked and inwardly smiled at Ron's enthusiasm.

"I can pick anything?"

"Well not anything. I told you before, I'm not that powerful." Merlin couldn't help but feel bad when he lied to Ron. He was his first real friend in decades and he lied to his face every opportunity he got. 'One day,' he thought. 'One day I will tell him the truth'.

"Plus you can't pick anything dangerous."

"Hmm I don't know. It's hard to decide."

"You know what, how about I start by teaching you the background first?"

"Oh, okay." Ron said with a smile and Merlin couldn't help but smile back.

"What do you know about the druids?"

"Not much to be honest."

"Well the druids were a peaceful people. They lived as one with nature and the Old Religion. Not all of them had the old magic flowing through them, but the majority did. But back then, when the Old religion was at its peak, it was possible for everyone to learn magic even if they weren't born with it. That's not the case anymore."

"But wait. How will you then be able to teach me if I don't have the Old Magic in me?" Ron interrupted and waved his hand franticly to make Merlin stop talking.

"I guess we'll have to find out if you have it or not?" Merlin said and furrowed his brow in thought. He hadn't actually thought about it before. He hadn't taught magic in over a thousand years and back then the old magic was still strong enough to be easily accessible.

"How?" Ron asked, his brow equally furrowed.

"I'll guess we'll have to wait and see until you try a spell." Merlin finally said with a shrug. "But let me explain the background of the magic first okay."

"Fine." Ron said with a tone of impatience.

Merlin looked up at him and said seriously "Magic like this isn't something you rush into. If you don't understand it, bad things can happen."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I have experienced it." He said silently.

"What happened?"

"I don't really want to talk about it, but it happened to a friend of mine a long time ago. She was too eager and it went downhill from there. But I won't talk about it." He said when he saw Ron's curious look. "Maybe in the future when I'm ready." He said the last part quietly. He wasn't ready to talk about his past, especially Morgana, to anyone.

"Okay then, but you should open up more. It's not good to keep everything inside." Ron said as an attempt to lighten the mood and gestured for Merlin to continue.

"You're right, but I'm just not ready right now." He said with a quiet sigh.

"Harry and Hermione!" Ron suddenly said and gave a short laugh.

"What about them?" Merlin asked confused.

"They're going to be so jealous that I get to know about the Old Religion first."

"You're right, I didn't think about that. Sorry." Merlin had completely forgotten about them to be honest. He knew that Hermione for one had been very eager to know more about the Old Religion.

"It's nothing to apologise for. It's not your fault they're not here. But Hermione is going to be so jealous." He said and laughed. Merlin couldn't help but laugh as well when he watched Ron.

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><p><strong>AN**

**So I hope you all liked it and I know that Ron might have seen a bit OOC in the beginning, but I like to think that Merlin excudes a special aura or something that makes normally closed off people, open up. And he practically admits to feel this way in book seven so I'm just assuming that he have felt like that for years.**


	10. The One Where Hermione Eavesdrop

**A/N**

**First I want to thank everyone that has reviewed. It really means a lot every time I get a notice of a new review. It's like opening a present.**

**Lady Flurryous:** I know that Merlin has a tendency to procrastinate when it comes to telling his secrets, and unfortunately it hasn't really changed much over a thousand years.

**Child of Happiness:** Thank you and we'll have to read and see exactly what Hermione decides to do.

**bookybookworm:** I know that Hermione might seem a bit OOC, but at the same time, you never get to hear Hermione's point of view on things so I take certain liberties with her in this story. She will definitely seem a bit OOC in the next chapter so just take it with a grain of salt (as we say in Sweden) and I will try my best to make her believable.

**NightsAnger:** Thank you. I will mention Kilgarrah and Aithusa in later chapters, but you might get a bit disappointed about Kilgarrah. And I will include someone that Merlin can talk to, later on in the story, but it will take a few chapters.

**whenithitsthefan:** De är magiska väsen så jag tyckte att de borde få lite 'screen time' haha. Jag tycker också om deras nya 'bonding'. De passar bra ihop. Hermione kommer att tala ut med Ron exakt vad hon tycker om deras hemliga prat, men hon kommer vänta på uppbackning. Det gör inget att du skrev på engelska, jag vet att du är upptagen med skolarbeten, som du skrev i ditt senaste kapitel. Tack så mycket.

**I also want to thank my Beta Crazy-about-books.**

**Now I want to warn you all that there will be spoilers in this chapter, which include the entire Merlin series, so be aware. And I hope you'll have had a Happy Halloween, All saints day and Samhain.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8 The One Where Hermione Eavesdrop<strong>

Hermione heard laughter when she got closer to Ron's room. She didn't want to impose on a tender moment so she decided to listen outside the door first. Eventually, she heard Ron talking.

"Harry and Hermione!" She heard Ron practically yell out.

"What about them?" Marcus answered.

"They're going to be so jealous that I get to know about the Old Religion first."

'_What! How dare they exclude me from something like this?_' Hermione was fuming.

"You're right, I didn't think about that. Sorry."

'_Yeah, you better be sorry_.'

"It's nothing to apologise for. It's not your fault. But Hermione is going to be so jealous." Ron said and then started laughing. Shortly after, Marcus started laughing to.

'_Well, I hope you have had your fun at my expense._' Hermione thought, a bit put out. She was just about to open the door when Marcus started talking again.

"How about I continue, okay?"

"Yes, tell me everything." Ron said excited.

"I said before that the Old Magic flows freely through your body which makes it easier to access than the New Magic that is only centered on your heart. Well, it's that way because it is the power of nature itself. Without the Old Magic, the laws of nature wouldn't exist."

'_Maybe I should listen a little more before I interrupt._' Hermione thought, all giddy. She decided that she would stay and listen before she walked in. '_You never know when you will get an opportunity like this again_.'

* * *

><p>"Kind of ironic when you think about it." Merlin chuckled and shook his head. "I mean," he raised his arms to emphasize "The planet and the universe as a whole are bound by the laws of physics. Nothing works unless those laws are followed. But without magic," he said seriously and pointed a finger towards Ron. "No life would be able to exist. All the planets out there would be nothing more than lifeless rocks. And at the same time, magic is the one thing, the one constant, that doesn't follow the laws of physics. So they are each other's opposites, but without one the other wouldn't exist. They are like two sides of the same coin." He finished and glanced at Ron to see his reaction.<p>

"Wow, I guess I've never really thought about it that way before." Ron said almost breathless and shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind.

"There are many things in the world that have an opposite, one thing that they can't live without. For example, Harry's opposite is Voldemort." Ron immediately flinched when he said the name.

"Don't say the name out loud." Ron said with frustration and glared at Merlin.

"Sorry, I forgot." Merlin said and shrugged his shoulders.

"You forgot?" Ron said disbelievingly.

"Yes, I forgot. I didn't grow up with other wizards and witches like you have, so I've never really learnt to fear his name."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Now will you let me continue with my story?"

"Sure." Ron said and waved his hand.

"Good. Now a few weeks ago, I told you that the Old Magic was declining but that's not exactly true. The Magic is just as strong and powerful as it used to be in nature, but it's the connections magic has with humans that have been declining. Part of it has to do with the New Magic and another part has to do with people forgetting. They have forgotten how to access the magic and how to use it and the magic in turn has gotten harder to harness."

"The Druids know how to harness the magic but they can't teach others who aren't born with it because it's too hard. And they don't want outsiders in their community even if they have the magic, which leaves not many people actually able to use the magic. I'm actually not allowed to teach you but what the hell, right?" he said with a grin. "We don't tell anybody, okay!?" he said with a cheeky smile and a wink.

"The only people they accept in their community are those that are born into it, no matter if they have the magic or not." he continued. "When the Old Religion was at its highest, those with magic where called sorcerers if they were men, and sorceresses, if they were women. But there also existed Warlocks Witches and High Priests and Priestesses of the Old Religion. Warlocks were those that were born _of_ magic instead of _with_ magic. To this day only one person has ever been a true Warlock. And Witches were those sorceresses that had turned bad. It's not like today when every female magic user is called a witch. Back then it was a bad to be called a Witch. There isn't really a word used for sorcerers that turned bad. I don't know why." He said and scratched the back of his head in thought.

"Anyway," He said and shook his head before continuing. "Where was I? Oh right, I remember. The High Priests and Priestesses were sorcerers and sorceresses that had been trained to follow the laws of the Old Religion since they were children. They were more powerful than regular magic wielders and they worshipped the Triple Goddess. The Druids follow the laws of the Old Religion too but they don't follow just one god or goddess. They follow many different, just like the rest of the human race did before the New Religions were introduced."

"So I guess that's the general background story. Of course there is much more to learn before being able to use magic, but that's something that should be saved for when we actually start training. Do you have any questions?" he said and looked at Ron.

"Yeah, I have one question. You mentioned a Warlock but you never said who it was."

"That's more of a statement than a question, Ron." Merlin said and raised an eyebrow mockingly.

"Come on, mate." Ron said, not finding it funny at all. "Can't you tell me who it is?"

"Fine." Merlin sighed and put his arms up in surrender. "There is this story that the Druids tell their children during big festivities. Do you want to hear it?"

"Oh, definitely." Ron said and leaned forward in anticipation.

"Okay, so this is a story about a Warlock, a Witch and a Druid."

* * *

><p>"Who were they? Are they alive today?"<p>

Hermione couldn't believe her luck: she was learning so much.

"No they are not alive today and you'll probably know who they are when you hear their names."

"Really? Are they famous? Is it Dumbledore?"

'_Of course it's not Dumbledore, Ron. Honestly_.'

"No it's not Dumbledore. I just told you they weren't alive today." Marcus said and chuckled a little.

"Oh right you did, but who were they?"

"It's quite a long story, are you sure?"

'_Yes, please._' Hermione thought.

"Yes, positive."

"Okay, then." And the Marcus began telling his story.

"There once was a King; a King that despised magic with all his being. He persecuted all those that practiced it and even those that happened to be around when magic was used. He was blinded by hate, a hate that originated from fear and lack of understanding of magic."

"It all started when his wife died from childbirth. Unbeknown to most, the pregnancy wasn't natural. His wife had been unable to carry a child and in his eagerness to have an heir, he asked an old friend for help. She was a High Priestess of the Triple Goddess and the Old Religion. She was also his very own court adviser when it came to matters about magic."

"The King asked her for help with conceiving a child, an heir. Being a High Priestess, she was able to get access to the Cup of Life. If you drank the water from the cup you were granted a life. So when his wife drank from the cup she gained a life in form of a child. But something that the King didn't understand was that everything must have a balance. To get a life, another must be taken. The High Priestess told the King that but he assumed that it would be a random person. It wasn't. When the child was born, the Old Religion decided to claim his wife to ensure the balance."

'_Oh that's awful._'

"Blinded by grief, the King turned on his friend. Claiming that she never told him about the consequences and that she had taken his wife from him intentionally. No one knows if she did do it intentionally or if she just was ignorant of the ramifications her actions would have. But regardless, that was the beginning of the Purge. The Purge lasted for about a year and during that time thousands of people were killed and executed. Most of them didn't even have magic. And the Druids where almost wiped out completely, but some managed to hide away in the woods."

"At the end of the Purge, the King decided to take down the Dragons as well. The Dragons back then were much wiser and more powerful than the Dragons of today. They could talk and perform magic and lived for thousands of years. The Dragons today are a cross-breed between the Great Dragons and their cousin breed, the Wyvern. The Wyverns looked like Dragons but were much smaller and feral. They couldn't talk or use magic and their lifespan was that of the Dragons today. So today's Dragons inherited the fire breathing and magical proprieties from the Great Dragons, but their feral side and crudeness from the Wyverns."

'_I never knew that._'

"The King killed all except for one, the greatest of them all, Kilgarrah. He locked him up under the castle for twenty years before he was released. The capture of the Great Dragon was the end of the Purge but not the end of the executions. For twenty years innocent people were executed and in return the Kingdom was attacked by magic users at random intervals."

"One day, almost twenty years after the end of the Purge, a young boy came to the Kingdom in search of advice from an old family friend. He was from a tiny village in the neighbouring Kingdom. The first thing he saw when he entered the castle grounds was an execution. It scarred him for life. The young boy eventually found who he was looking for and actually saved his life with magic, for the young boy was a Warlock, and a powerful one at that."

"But magic was banned in the Kingdom and if you were caught, you were sentenced to death. So the young Warlock was told by his friend, who turned out to be the Court Physician, to hide his magic and never to tell anyone."

"Only the day after, the young Warlock met the young Prince. They didn't get along at first but when the young Warlock saved the young Prince's life, he was rewarded the job of being his manservant. A job he wasn't too happy with at first, but eventually the young Warlock and the young Prince became friends. Best friends, some would say."

"The Prince wasn't the only friend the young Warlock gained in the Kingdom. He also became friends with two very different women. One was a sweet and incredibly nice young woman that later turned out to be the Maid of the King's Ward, the second woman. The Ward was fierce and loyal and always did what she deemed was the right thing to do even when she got punished for it. The Ward had lived in the castle since the age of ten. She had grown up with the young Prince and they were like brother and sister to each other. This would later turn out to be exactly what they were."

"The Ward discovered that she had magic while living in the castle and, for fear of being discovered by her Guardian, the King, she confided in a friend; the young Warlock that also had Magic but he never told her - for fear for himself, and because he had been told to never reveal his secret to her. That was the biggest regret in his life."

"The young Warlock later betrayed the Ward and she joined her long lost half-sister in an attempt to bring back Magic to the Kingdom. She later found out that the man she hated with her entire being and also feared was her father, the King. And his son, the young Prince and the next King, was her brother."

"That drove her over the edge and gone was the kind and lovely Ward, in her place was an angry and dangerous Witch, and later the last of the High Priestesses. Over many years she tried to take over the Kingdom and become the Queen she felt was her birthright. She also saw a vision of her old Maid, her best friend and sister in everything but blood, becoming Queen. For the Maid and the young Prince had found each other despite their different statuses. That drove her even deeper over the edge and she swore to do everything in her might to stop the vision from happening."

"In the meantime, the young Warlock did his best to keep the young Prince alive, for he had been told about a prophecy. A prophecy that stated that the young Prince would, together with the young Warlock, unite the lands and bring magic and peace back to the Kingdom. It was a hard task, because the young Prince was attacked almost weekly, but it was something the young Warlock gladly did, for he longed for the day when he no longer would need to hide his magic."

'_So that is how he knows so much about prophecies._'

"Eventually, the once former Ward, now a High Priestess and Witch, managed to kill the King and with that, the young Prince became the young King. He married the Maid who then became Queen; much to the dismay of the Witch."

"The Witch gained many allies; one of them was a young Druid Boy who she, the young King and the young Warlock once had saved, while she still had been the former King's Ward. But this boy was destined to bring down the young King and so the young Warlock had been wary at first of saving him. But his heart eventually decided against his mind and he helped. Later, the young King and the young Warlock ran into him again. He saved their lives and the young King made him a knight. The young Warlock hoped that it would mean the end of the prophesy."

"But when it comes to prophecies and destinies, you can rarely stop them. The Druid Boy was prophesied to bring down the young King and that was what he did. The young King executed the Druid Boy's childhood friend and love, when she refused to give up her loyalty to the Witch. The Druid Boy couldn't forgive the young King, so he left and joined the Witch."

"He helped her bring down the brother she so long had loved and that now was the King. He wore the crown that she longed after. So during their final battle the Druid Boy thrust his sword deep into her brother and the young King struck down the Druid Boy in his final act as a King."

"Meanwhile the young Warlock had been imprisoned in a cave by the Witch during the battle and when he finally arrived he was too late. He took the dying King and together they began their last journey together. The young King found out about his magic and accepted him just the way he was. The young Warlock was trying to get the young King to a magical island where creatures more powerful than him resided. He hoped that they would be able to heal the young King, for he had been struck with a magical sword that no mortal man could heal."

"But when they were almost there, the Witch caught up with them and the young Warlock used the young King's sword and drew it through her back and she was no more. They resumed their journey but they were too late. Looking out over the Island, the young Warlock held the young King, his best friend, in his arms when he died." Marcus' voice broke a bit when he finished.

"Wow." Ron said almost breathless.

'_Yes, wow indeed. I wonder if that was a true story._'

"But you never told me their names."

"Oh, sorry, I forgot." Marcus said and Hermione could hear in his voice that he was trying not to cry. "The High Priestess was named Nimueh."

"I recognise that name!" Ron exclaimed. "She was very powerful and lived during King Arthur's time in Camelot. Wait," he paused. "Was the evil King, King Arthur?"

'_King Arthur. Could it really be?_'

"Of course not!" Marcus said exasperated. "The tyrant King was his father, King Uther Pendragon. His son, Arthur Pendragon, was born of Magic because his mother, Ygraine, couldn't bear a child."

"I never knew that about King Arthur."

'_Me neither._'

"Neither did he for most of his life."

"But who was the Ward?"

"Lady Morgana, or later known as the last High Priestess of the Old Religion. Her sister Morgause trained her to be a Priestess and when she died Morgana was the only one left."

"Morgana?" Ron asked with a furrowed brow.

"Right, you may know her more as Morgan Le Fay." Merlin said, 'Where they got that name I have no idea,' He thought. "But her real name was Morgana Pendragon."

Ron nodded in understanding before he continued. "But what about Nimueh?"

"Remember Morgana's friend that later betrayed her, the young Warlock?"

"Yes."

"Well his name was Merlin." Ron gasped out loud at that.

"Merlin!? _The_ Merlin was friends with Morgana?"

'_I can't believe it._'

"Yes, at first, but after his betrayal they became great enemies."

"Oh, why did he betray her?"

"No one really knows why or how. Just that it happened."

'_Oh he knows. I can hear it in his voice. He just doesn't want to say it. I wonder why._'

"Anyway, he worked as Arthur's manservant from the moment he saved his life during his first week at Camelot." Marcus continued.

"Manservant? But wasn't Merlin an old man?"

'_Haven't you been listening to the story Ronald?_'

"No he was actually a few years younger than Arthur." Marcus said a bit irritated.

'_I wonder why he sounds irritated._'

"Wow, never knew that."

"Yes well, he then spent the following years protecting Arthur from the sidelines. He couldn't tell him about his magic for fear of being executed. One time Arthur was dying of a bite from the Questing beast. So he contacted Nimueh to make a deal; his life for Arthur's. But just as with the King, she didn't uphold her part of the deal and instead tried to kill his mother. A few other things transpired and Merlin ended up killing her and in that way restored the balance."

'_I never knew Merlin could be so violent._'

"So all that happened before Morgana turned evil?"

"Yes." Marcus said. "So that is why Morgana became the last High Priestess after her sister died."

"So Morgana was the Witch?"

"Yes, she was a seer and had had visions in her dreams since she was a little girl. But her magic didn't really surface until she reach adulthood."

'_A seer, really? Probably better than Trelawney._'

"And the Warlock was Merlin?"

"Yes, he was able to use magic since he was born. He made things float with his mind before he could talk."

"That's bloody brilliant!"

'_Wow, that's amazing._'

"Yes, it is." Marcus said happily. "And the Druid boy that joined forces with Morgana, his name was Mordred."

"Mordred...Yes, I remember that name. He is regarded as one of the most evil people in history, more than Morgana actually."

"He was powerful; not as powerful as Merlin and Morgana, but he could use magic from a young age. He also had a very keen ability to talk through the mind, a natural really. Most Druids had to practise hard to be able to do it, but for him it was like second nature."

"Talk through the mind, like Occlumency?"

"No, Occlumency is when you search through the mind of another person and look into their memories. What the Druids do is just talking to each other, but through the mind. They don't get access to the other person's memories or thoughts - only what the other person wants them to hear. They can also talk to each other from quite the distance. The more powerful they are, the more distance they can have."

'_I've never heard of anything like that._'

"You're a Druid, can you do it?"

"Ehm, yes...I can actually." Marcus sounded a bit taken aback by the question.

'_Probably didn't expect Ron to make the connection so fast. I'm a bit surprised myself._'

"That's cool. You must teach me that. We could go around and talking to each other and no one would know."

"Yes, I suppose so." Marcus said with a laugh.

'_Please don't. It would be insufferable to be around you._'

When they didn't say anything for a while, Hermione decided to make herself known, so she knocked on the door and walked in.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**So I hope you all liked it, and I have a suggestion for you. I have started to write about a prank war between certain characters (Merlin/Ron vs Fleur), which later will include the entire Hogwarts school (Merlin/Ron/Harry vs Hogwarts). So I would really appreciate it if you could send me ideas for pranks. Both pranks that could take place at the Burrow, and others that could take place at Hogwarts during the entire sixth year. I have a lousy imagination when it comes to pranks so I would appreciate your help. **

**I would also like your suggestions as to how Merlin could attend Hogwarts if he wasn't a student. I like to keep my options open as to how he would attend, until I have written that chapter. So again, I would appreciate your help with that as well.**

**Now have a great week and keep out of trouble.  
><strong>


	11. The One With the Mind Talk

**A/N**

**Thank you for all your reviews, favourites and follows.**

**Goldenseal:** He's a little angsty now but hopefully he'll have someone soon that can give him a hug ;)

**SpriteBlazer: **Thank you, and yes, Hermione can be naughty when she wants something. =P

**Lady Flurryous: **Thank you, I think so too. I want to make her a little different in this story, from how she's usually portrayed in other HP/Merlin fics, how exactly will be revealed in latter chapters. But I think you'll like it. That's totally what happened with his and hers destiny. Things would have ended differently if he hadn't listened to the dragon, and Voldemort wouldn't have created his mortal enemy if he hadn't known his prophecy. Thank you, and I will keep your suggestion in mind. =)

**IndiaMoore: **Thank you. =)

**IStalkMyFandoms: **Thank you anyway, but if you ever have an idea, don't hesitate to tell me, no matter how horrible you think it is. =)

**SwimmerGirl0726: **Thank you for your ideas. I will definitely keep them in mind =)

**ahylmn: **Thank you for telling me. I have changed the chapter. I hope I get a PM =)

**fastreader12: **Thank you for your idea and for your compliments =)

**Female whovian:** Thank you very much =)

**whenithitsthefan: **Hon gör allt hon kan för att lära sig nya saker. När han eventuellt berättar vem han verkligen är, så kommer denna historia att lämna ett stort intryck på honom och de andra, eftersom de då kommer att veta vad han gått igenom. Lite iallafall. Jag vill att hon ska få en lite annorlunda roll i denna berättelse, jämfört med andra HP/Merlin fics. Förhoppningsvis så kommer du gilla det =). Han är gammal, men han tycker inte om att bli påmind om det ;). Det kommer att ta lite tid innan Hermione är helt hundra på vem han är, men denna historia kommer att hjälpa i framtiden när hon fått mer information. Rolig idé, kommer att fundera på hur exakt jag kan använda det, och jag tycker också om deras idéer. Kanske kan man göra en kombination av båda. =)

**This is probably the most reviews I've gotten on a chapter yet, yay =D**

**I want to ask you all again, to give me ideas on how you want Merlin to attend Hogwarts, if he wasn't a student, and if you have any pranks ideas. The teams are: At the Burrow (Ron/Merlin vs Fleur) and at Hogwarts (Ron/Merlin/Harry vs everybody else). Thankful for any ideas that you may have. Don't hesitate to tell me, even if you think it's terrible.**

**I want to thank _Crazy-about-books _for being a wonderful beta.**

**Now, on with the chapter.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9 The One With the Mind Talk<strong>

"Yes, I suppose so." Merlin said with a laugh. 'It would actually be fun.' he thought.

'_Ron, can you hear me?_'

Ron jumped a bit when he heard Merlin's voice in his head. Then Merlin could see him scrunch up his face in concentration but he couldn't hear anything.

'_Try to focus on your magic first. Then send it out until you can find my magic. It will create a bridge where you can send over your thoughts to me._'

Ron sat with his eyes closed and face scrunched up for a while before Merlin finally heard a voice.

'_Is it working?_'

'_Yes, it works. Try again._'

'_Does this mean I can use the Old Magic?_' Ron asked happily.

'_Unfortunately no, everyone with magic can talk like this as long as one of the speakers use the Old Magic. So you won't be able to start a conversation first, I have to be the one that starts them, at least until you have learned to use the Old Magic.' '_This for once is actually true.' Merlin thought. He didn't like lying to people, but they weren't ready to hear the whole truth yet. _'But say something more._' He continued.

But before Ron could respond, they heard a knock on the door and in walked Hermione.

'_Hermione, what are you doing here!?_'Merlin flinched when Ron practically screamed in his mind.

'_Out loud, Ron._'

'_Sorry mate_.' Ron said and looked apologetically at him. "Hermione, what are you doing here?" He said and stood up from the floor.

"I thought I would surprise you" she said and hugged him. "Did I interrupt anything?" she said and glanced at Merlin where he was sitting on Ron's bed.

"No, not at all." Ron said. '_Do you think she was eavesdropping?_'

"We were just talking about Quidditch. Ron has promised to teach me how to play." Merlin said and stood up as well. '_I don't know. She does look a bit guilty._'

"Yeah, did you know that he has never watched a Quidditch game in his life?" '_We can try and drop some hints later and see how she reacts._'

"Well, I have never actually lived in the magical community before, so is it really so surprising?" '_Yes we can do that. But we have to make sure she is unguarded when we do, or she will know what we intend to do._'

'_Fine._'

"Not everyone is so into Quidditch as you and Harry, Ron. So no, I'm not that surprised." Hermione said with a smile to Merlin.

"RON, MARCUS, HERMIONE, lunch time." They heard Ginny call outside the room before she walked in.

"Bloody hell, Ginny, you don't have to yell when you are just outside the room. You almost pierced my skull with your voice." Ron said and received a glare from Ginny.

Merlin couldn't help but snort at that, which earned him a glare of his own.

"Were they surprised?" Ginny asked Hermione.

"Very." She said and took Ginny's arm and headed out of the room.

Ron and Merlin followed quietly after, or quietly to everyone else.

* * *

><p>After lunch Ron, Ginny and Hermione decided to teach Merlin some Quidditch. So they headed out to the garden where a temporary Quidditch field was made. What Merlin and Ron had told Hermione was true, Merlin had never watched a Quidditch game, let alone played it.<p>

"So Marcus," Ginny said. "I heard that you have never watched a Quidditch game in your life. How come?"

"I guess I never had the opportunity. Both my mum and my uncle lived in the muggle world and we mostly watched Football instead." He shrugged.

"What's Football?" Ron asked.

"It's a game muggles play, where they run around after a ball and try to make goals. It's a lot like Quidditch but on ground and they only use one ball." Hermione said before Marcus had a chance to.

'I wonder if he has played Football himself. He does look fit enough to have done some athletic sports.' Hermione thought. And when she realized what exactly she had been thinking, she ducked her head to try and hide her incoming blush. 'Well, I'm not the only one that thinks he's good looking. Ginny can barely keep her eyes of him.' She couldn't help but giggle a little when she saw Ginny looking at him when he bent down to pick up his broomstick.

Ginny heard her giggle and turned her head towards her. When she realized that Hermione had caught her looking she gave her a scowl and tried to get Marcus' attention again.

"Marcus, have you actually flown a broomstick before?" Ginny asked him.

"Of course I have, it's a great way to transport yourself. It wasn't always used for games you know." He said with a huff. 'I was actually there when they were invented.' Merlin thought a little irritated. 'Just because I'm old doesn't mean I don't follow the times. But of course they don't know that.' He said as an afterthought.

"So you can fly?" Ron asked.

"Yes."

"Then show us." Ginny said.

So Merlin mounted his broomstick and kicked off from the ground. He flew a few laps around the Burrow and then made a steep nosedive towards the others. In the last minute he pulled up and landed gracefully on the ground. 'Say what you want about me being clumsy, Arthur. You have never seen me fly.' Merlin thought happily.

"Wow, that was amazing mate."

"Thank you." Merlin said with a grin.

"I guess you were right." Ginny said. "You truly can fly."

"Yeah well, I told you. You need to start trusting me more." He said with a wink. He only got a glare in return.

And so they spent the rest of the day playing Quidditch. Ron and Merlin were in one team, and Hermione and Ginny in the other. Merlin and Ron shifted their positions in half-time so that Merlin could try to be a chaser and a keeper. He was good at both, but thanks to his heightened reflexes that come with being a creature of pure Magic, he was a little better at being a keeper.

"You should try playing seeker when we're back at Hogwarts." Ron said to him as they headed back in after the game.

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, with those reflexes you'd be great at it. But you can't play for the team if you get sorted into Gryffindor, because that's Harry's position."

"I'm not sure I even want to play for any teams. But I will definitely try playing a seeker for fun." He told Ron and that was the truth. He didn't want to get distracted with other things while at Hogwarts. He needed to be prepared.

And with that they sat down to eat dinner.

* * *

><p>Merlin lay in his bed that night; just thinking about everything that had happened during his stay at the Burrow. He had gotten a real friend in Ron. 'I friend I can't be honest with.' He thought sadly with a hint of anger at himself for being a coward. He decided not to dwell on that for now and instead think about something funny, which led him to Fleur. 'It's time I do something about that.' He thought. So he decided to contact Ron.<p>

'_What do you think about Fleur?_' Merlin asked Ron through his mind. Ron was in his own room.

'_I don't know. She's good looking, I guess. Why?_'

'_Is that all? You don't find her annoying?_'

'_Maybe a little._'

'_Only a little? Seriously?_'

'_Okay fine, she's annoying, a lot._'

'_Good. How do you feel about pranking her?_'

'_Pranking? I don't know. It's not really my thing. Fred and George are the pranksters of the family._'

'_I'm quite good at pranking, so I can teach you._'

'_You will? But what kind of ideas do you have in mind?_'

'_Oh, I have quite a few. We could make her grow a tail._'

'_You can?_'

'_Yes, I did it to Umbridge when she left Hogwarts._'

'_That was you? That was hilarious. A horsetail actually fits her perfectly. But I don't think it's good enough for Fleur._'

'_You're right. We need something bigger._'

'_Like turning her completely into a horse?_'

'_Not quite that big, but you're thinking in the right direction. No, we need something epic._'

'_Like Fred and George's swamp?_'

'_Their what?_'

'_Fred and George turned one of the corridors at Hogwarts into a swamp before they left._'

'_That's brilliant._'

'_I know._'

'_That's definitely epic enough, but not exactly doable on a human. But maybe we can do something similar?_'

'_What do you have in mind?_'

Merlin told Ron about his idea for a prank. After they had worked out how and when they both said goodnight and fell asleep with a wicked smile featuring on their faces.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, whilst Ron and Merlin had been talking, so were Ginny and Hermione. Hermione was staying in Ginny's room during her visitation at the Burrow. She hadn't told Ginny about what she had heard earlier that day. She wasn't sure Ginny was the right person to tell it to, so she decided to wait until Harry came. Then they could both confront Ron and Marcus about it. But that didn't mean they couldn't talk about other things.<p>

So when they both had gotten dressed for the night and climbed down in bed, she decided to ask Ginny something before they went to sleep.

"How do you feel about Ron and Marcus's friendship?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"How do you mean?"

"I mean they are both so different. Ron is obnoxious, irritating and loud. He talks before he thinks and he is crazy about food and Quidditch. And he is lazy, especially when it comes to homework." Hermione said as she stared up at the ceiling.

"And then there's Marcus." Ginny said when Hermione didn't continue.

"Yes, then there's Marcus. He is closed off, or at least he was when we were at Hogwarts. He is also quieter, he doesn't talk much unless being spoken to, and he just seems so nice and trustworthy even if he has his secrets. I don't know if he's lazy but I have a feeling he takes his studies seriously."

"Plus he's hot." Ginny said and they both started to giggle.

"He really is." Hermione said with a sigh.

"To bad he's so old." Ginny said with a disappointed look.

"He's not that old." Hermione interjected.

"How old is he?"

"I think he's twenty-six. He said that he moved to his uncle's when he was sixteen and then lived with him for almost ten years. And his uncle died only a few months ago."

"That's only ten years older than you and eleven years older than me. There's a bigger age difference between Tonks and Lupin."

"You're right. Ten years is not that big of an age difference."

"So, no problem then?" Ginny said with a smirk. "That's, of course, if he doesn't play for the other team."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked and turned to lie on her side so she could face Ginny.

"Think about it. He's supposedly single. At least he hasn't told you about any girlfriends, right?" Ginny said as she too turned to lie on her side.

"Right." Hermione was starting to get confused. She didn't understand what Ginny was indicating.

"Yes, and he always wear nice designer clothes from the latest in muggle fashion."

"What do you know about muggle fashion?" Hermione said surprised.

"Two of the girls in my dorm are from muggle families, and they have muggle magazines sent once a week. I join in sometimes when they read through them." She said with a shrug. "Anyway, he apparently likes to work out if you look at his body, which isn't that hard when he wears shirts that fit so snugly like his does."

"What are you getting at with this?" Hermione decided to be direct with Ginny if she ever wanted to find out what she meant.

"I'm saying that he might be gay." Ginny said and raised her eyebrows.

"Gay! Really!?" Hermione exclaimed.

"Yes, really." Ginny said while nodding.

"Do you think that's why he spends so much time with Ron?" Hermione said like she had finally found out the answer to a big mystery and grabbed Ginny's arm.

"I don't know. I don't think Ron's gay. Do you?" Ginny asked.

"No, I guess not." Hermione said with a contemplative look.

"If anyone in my family's gay, then it's probably Percy."

"Why Percy?"

"I don't know, it's just a hunch I guess." Ginny shrugged.

"Hmm maybe, but do you really think Marcus's gay?" Hermione said doubtfully.

"Well, have you ever heard him mention friends that were girls?" Ginny said and raised an eyebrow.

"No, he hasn't mentioned any friends at all actually. Well except for Arthur." She said excitedly.

"Who's Arthur?" Ginny asked.

"Don't you remember in the hospital wing when he woke up? He shouted "Arthur" several times before he woke."

"Yes, now I remember. Have you found out more about him?"

"Not much. Ron asked him when we ate dinner the first evening after he got released."

"And how did that go?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know my brother. He can be very blunt sometimes." Ginny said and raised an eyebrow.

"You have no idea." Hermione said and let out a small laugh.

"Tell me."

"Well, first he asked him how his father died."

"He didn't?" Ginny's mouth almost formed a perfect 'O'.

"He most definitely did." Hermione said exasperated.

"How did he take it?"

"He took it well actually; he didn't seem upset about it. But then Ron asked him who Arthur was."

"I guess he didn't take that as well."

"No, he didn't. First he was shocked that we even knew the name. Then he stormed off, claiming he needed to talk to Dumbledore."

"Was he very upset?"

"Yes, I could swear I saw him wipe his eyes when he walked away."

"So my theory might be true."

"How?"

"Maybe Arthur was his boyfriend and something happened to him, or maybe they separated but Marcus still has feelings for him."

"Perhaps."

"There's only one way to find out."

"And what might that be?"

"Simple, we have to trick him to tell us." Ginny said with a smirk.

"You can't be serious." Hermione snorted.

"I'm very serious. Do you have any better ideas?"

"Well no, but..."

"It's settled then? We will spend the rest of the summer trying to get Marcus to talk."

"Okay, fine." Hermione said with a resigned tone.

"Shake on it?"

"Shake on it." Hermione agreed and took Ginny's hand. "But you never did answer my question."

"What was it again?"

"How you feel about Ron and Marcus' friendship."

"I honestly don't know how to answer that. I mean, they seem to get on well but as you said, they are so different." Ginny said and furrowed her brow in thought.

"I know, but Ron and Harry are different too."

"Yeah, but they became friends when they where only eleven. So they have technically grown up together. And they are not so different; they are both lazy when it comes to homework." Ginny said the last with a laugh.

"You're right."

"Of course I am." Ginny smirked.

Hermione raised her eyebrows at Ginny and then they both burst out laughing.

"I wonder what will happen when Harry comes next week." Hermione said.

"I know, Harry isn't one to easily trust people nowadays."

"I guess we'll have to wait and see."

"Can't wait." Ginny said with a big yawn.

"We should probably go to sleep. Goodnight, Ginny."

"Goodnight, Hermione."

* * *

><p>Merlin was just about to fall asleep when he heard a noise. At first he thought it came from outside the window, but when he stood up and walked over he couldn't see anything. Thinking it was just his imagination, he went back to the bed. Just as he was to close his eyes, he heard it again. This time there was no mistaking it. It came from inside his head and it said one word over and over.<p>

'_MERLIN!_'

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**Now, I know that Hermione might seem a bit OOC again, but that's because she's hanging out with Ginny. You never get to see how she is with other girls in the books, because it's from Harry's POV. You only ever see a few glimpses. So I take a little writers liberty on her in those situations.**

**Hope you liked it and don't hesitate to leave a review, even if it's only one sentence. It's like opening a present, every time I get a new notification regarding a review. **

**Have a great week =)**


	12. The One With the Pranks

**A/N**

**Thank you for your wonderful reviews. We broke the record with most reviews per chapter. Let's try and make it happen again =P**

**icedragonforebird:** Thank you, and I will keep your idea in mind.

**CrackedCrow: **I'm glad I made your day, and about Merlin being gay, We'll just have to wait and see ;)

**Lady Flurryous: **Ginny isn't that knowledgeable in that area, so she's just making assumptions. But we'll have to wait and see if they're true. I guess, this chapter answers your other questions and requests.

**Bookybookworm:** Thank you, it warms my heart to hear you say that, and who can resist a good cliffie when the opportunity presents itself (insert evil smirk).

**WhiteWolf4: **You'll have to wait and see about the gay thing, and about Arthur, no comments =P Thank you for liking it.

**Triquetra123: **I will keep your prank ideas in mind, and hopefully I will be able to use them. Again, about the gay thing. You all have to wait and see.

**Sparky199: **Mwha-ha-ha, evil smirk

**NightsAnger: **I have PM you about it, and I would appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone what I said (Spoilers). I'm glad you liked the chapter.

**fastreader12: **Yes, there's definitely more than a ten year age gap =P. Freya was a important person to Merlin, but not everything is set in stone. You'll have to wait and see with the others. I'm glad you liked the chapter =)

**Female whovian: **Who knows, nose knows (I'm tired, excuse me for my lame joke). Thank you for liking the story =)

**whenithitsthefan: **Jag gillar deras vänskap också. Det gör att Ron får en lite större roll, jämfört med böckerna. Du kommer nog att känna igen Fleurs prank. Du gör cliffhangers hela tiden i din berättelse, så jag tycker det är dags att du får känna på hur det är att vara på andra sidan av cliffen =P

**I want to thank my amazing beta _Crazy-about-books_ for putting up with my lack of commas, in every story. I would also like to dedicate a part of this story to _whenithitsthefan_, for suggesting Fleur's prank. If you haven't read her own Merlin/HP crossover, you definitely should. It's amazingly hilarious and exciting, with a lot off plot twists.**

**Again, I would appreciate it if you could give me ideas for pranks, made at the Burrow (Ron/Merlin vs Fleur) and at Hogwarts during the year (Ron/Merlin/Harry vs the entire school, including teachers.)**

**Now, on with the story.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10 The One With the Pranks<strong>

'_MERLIN!_'

'_Who is this?_' Merlin asked very confused.

'_Don't you recognise me?_' The voice said with an unmistakable smirk.

'_Morgana, is that you? How is that possible, you're dead._' Merlin said, truly shocked.

'_And whose fault is that?_' Morgana said accusingly.

'_Mine...it's my fault. I'm sorry, I truly am._' If there was one thing Merlin regretted about his long life, it was not trusting Morgana with his secret before it was too late.

'_I know._' She said with sadness in her voice.

'_You do?_' Merlin hadn't expected that.

'_Yes, and I understand, but listen Merlin. I can't hold this connection open much longer. We have much to talk about but now isn't the time. I need you to listen to me._' She said hurriedly.

'_But how...?_'

'_Please Merlin, listen to me._' She pleaded.

'_Okay, I'm listening._' He thought that he might as well give her a chance to say what she wants before he judged her.

'_Something terrible is happening and you are the only one that can stop it._'

'_What is happening? And how can I stop it?_'

'_I don't have time to explain it,_ _I can't hold on much longer. Please Merlin; come to the Lake of Avalon on the evening of Samhain. We will be able to talk more then, when the veil between the afterlife and this world is at its thinnest. Can you do that, please? Promise me._' She said hurriedly.

'_Of course Morgana, I promise._'

'_Thank you, Merlin. Remember that I..._' But her voice disappeared before she could finish.

'_Morgana, MORGANA!_' Merlin practically screamed but he received no answer.

'What does all this mean? Merlin thought to himself. 'First my vision and now this? How was Morgana even able to reach me? She's dead; she isn't supposed to be able to reach over. And can I truly trust her? What if she's luring me into a trap? Argh!' Frustrated Merlin stood up and flung his arms up into the air and nearly knocked down a pile of books on his night-stand. 'Why can't people just tell me what is happening without all these damn riddles? It's like Kilgarrah all over again.' He thought as he steadied the books.

Kilgarrah; Merlin hadn't thought about him in a long time. He had died shortly after Arthur and it was during times like these that he missed him the most. 'He may have been annoying and insufferable at times, but he always helped me when I needed him the most.' He thought sadly.

Aithusa was still out there somewhere, but she wasn't as wise. She did her best, but compared to Kilgarrah she was in ways still a hatchling. 'But I haven't seen her in over two centuries. Maybe I should make a call?'Merlin thought. 'Yes, as soon as I can get away from the others, I will call her.' And with that thought Merlin went back to bed.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Merlin met up with Ron in the kitchen. They had planned everything out for their prank and now it was time to make it happen.<p>

"Do you have all the ingredients?" Ron asked Merlin. Ron was all excited and kept fidgeting with his shirt.

"Yes." Merlin said for what felt like the hundredth time. "The answer is the same as all the other times. Yes, I have all the ingredients and before you ask..." Merlin put up a hand to stop Ron from interrupting. "...Yes, it is almost done. I only need to heat it five more minutes on the stove then we can serve it." The last part he said with a grin that Ron soon matched.

* * *

><p>Hermione was feeling very confused this morning. She had been woken up in the middle of the night by some sort of presence. It had felt like someone had tried to reach out their magic and directed it straight towards the house. For fear of being attacked, she had gotten up quickly and looked out the window but she hadn't been able to see anything. When she was about to walk out of the room to search around the house, the feeling disappeared. After trying to reach out and find the presence once more, but to no avail, she went back to bed. But when she woke up the next morning she still felt confused.<p>

"So what do you think he will be wearing today?" Ginny asked Hermione when they made their way downstairs towards the kitchen. When she didn't answer, Ginny poked her in the ribs with her elbow.

"I'm sorry, what?" Hermione said, chewing on her bottom lip.

"You seem very distracted this morning, Hermione. Did something happen?" Ginny asked concerned.

"I felt something last night." When she saw Ginny's questioning look she elaborated. "After you fell asleep I felt a presence in the house."

"What kind of presence?"

"I can't really explain it. I've never felt anything like it before. But it felt like a person. Like someone was sending out their magic towards the house and then it just stopped. It only lasted a few minutes. I looked around the house and outside but I couldn't see anything."

"That's strange." Ginny said, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Yes, it is."

But what was even stranger was the sight they witnessed when they entered the kitchen. There was Marcus and Ron, making breakfast. It may not be so strange in itself if it wasn't for the fact that Ron had never made breakfast in his life. But there he was, setting the table while Marcus was making the finishing touches on the food. And all the worry about strange presences in the house was gone the moment Marcus turned around and gave them both a huge smile; wearing a very tight and a very white shirt.

"Good morning, Ginny, Hermione." He said as he turned off the stove.

"Good morning." Hermione and Ginny said in chorus before they started to giggle.

Hermione saw Ron give Marcus a questioning look and they just stared at each other before Marcus shrugged and scooped up the food on plates and walked over with them to the table.

"What was that about?" Ginny whispered to Hermione.

"I don't know, it was like they were communicating with looks." Hermione whispered back.

"Maybe we were wrong about Ron after all." Ginny said with a wink and went to sit down at the table. Hermione couldn't help but laugh out loud at that and in returned she received a raised eyebrow from Marcus and a furrowed brow from Ron. She just ignored them and sat down next to Ginny. Soon the rest of the house turned up as well.

"You made breakfast, my little Ronnikins!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked when she came into the kitchen. She went straight to Ron and gave him a hug and kisses on the cheeks.

"Please Mum, stop. Stop!" Ron tried and glanced at Marcus pleadingly, who just shook his head and laughed silently. "It was actually Marcus that made most of it, Mum. You should thank him too."

Hermione saw Marcus' eyes go wide when Mrs. Weasley released Ron and went for him instead. Then he sent Ron death glares while Ron just barely held in his laughs.

'What are these looks they keep giving each other?' Hermione thought. 'It's like they are communicating with each other. Can Ginny's theory really be right?' But then she slapped her hands over her mouth when she remembered something from the day before.

_"__Talk through the mind, like Legilimency?"_

_"__No, Legilimency is when you search through the mind of another person and look into their memories. What the Druids do is just talking to each other but through the mind. They don't get access to the other person's memories or thoughts. Only what the other person wants them to hear. They can also talk to each other from quite the distance. The more powerful they are, the more distance they can have."_

_"__You're a Druid. Can you do it?"_

_"__Ehm, yes...I can actually." Marcus sounded a bit taken aback by the question._

_"__That's cool. You must teach me that. We could go around and talking to each other and no one would know."_

_"__Yes, I suppose so." Marcus said with a laugh._

'They're talking with each other though their minds. I can't believe it.' She thought astounded.

While she was having her flashback, Mrs. Weasley had released Marcus and everyone had sat down to eat; everyone being Fleur, Bill, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Marcus, Ron and, the order member of the day, Remus Lupin. Hermione was just about to tell Ginny what she had discovered when a loud shriek interrupted her. It was Fleur Delacour.

She turned around and saw Fleur quickly standing up and clutching her face. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Before her eyes, big warts started popping out all over Fleur's face and her hair shrank and tousled up before it turned into a moss-green colour. Fangs sprouted out of her mouth and her body swelled up. What stood before them after the transformation was no longer Fleur, but instead a troll-like creature.

Everyone stared at Fleur in shock except for two boys, Ron and Marcus. They were laughing so much that they both fell off their chairs and onto the floor.

"HOW DARE YOU!?" Fleur yelled at them. "YOU WILL REGRET THIS!?" She said and pointed a very thick finger at them before she stomped away towards hers and Bill's room while cursing them and muttering in French.

"You really shouldn't have done that." Bill told them warningly and then ran after Fleur.

"Well, she definitively looks like Phlegm now." Ginny grinned and made Ron and Marcus laugh even harder.

Hermione didn't know what to think. Everyone was still too shocked to say anything and Ron and Marcus were now laughing so hard that they were crying and when they tried to stand up, they just fell down again because they were laughing so hard.

"Well," Mr. Weasley finally said. "That's not something you see every day." He said with a laugh.

"This isn't something to laugh about, Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley said when she regained her voice, and gave him a glare that made him shrink in his seat. "RONALD WEASLEY, how could you! I've raised you better than that!" She said and gave Ron a glare that immediately made him sober up. "And you Marcus, I haven't known you for long but I never picked you as someone who could do something like this!" And then gave him an equally sobering glare. "I should...!"

"Well now, Molly." Mr. Weasley interrupted. "It wasn't that bad."

"NOT THAT BAD!?" she shrieked. "Not that bad!? Didn't you see the poor girl!?" She said and gestured towards everyone at the table.

"I think it's funny..." Ginny said but quickly stopped when she received her own glare.

"Well, I don't and I want you two..." She gestured to Ron and Marcus. "...outside now. I don't want to see either of you until I've calmed down."

And with a quick glance to each other, Ron and Marcus stepped outside and disappeared from view.

"I think we should go too." Ginny whispered to Hermione. "When my Mum is in this mood, it's best to give her some space. Plus, I'm very anxious to hear Ron's and Marcus' side of the story."

"Me too." Hermione whispered back and they both got up and walked out after Ron and Marcus before anyone noticed.

Remus hadn't said anything during the whole ordeal, but his inner Marauder was cheering at them.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe it actually worked." Ron said with a huge grin and clutched his sides when they got to the backside of the house. He had tears running down his cheeks and he was laughing so hard that his stomach started to hurt.<p>

"I know." Merlin said with an equally huge grin that almost split his face in two and his eyes were so crinkled that he could barely see anything. He too had tears coming down his cheeks and he fell over on the ground as soon as they made it to the backside.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" They heard someone say and when they turned around, or in Merlin's case rolled around, they saw Ginny and Hermione staring at them with their hands on their hips and not a hint of amusement on their faces.

"I can explain." Merlin said as he tried to stand up, which wasn't as easy as one might think. Especially when his stomach still hurt from all the laughing and the tears had made his eyes all clouded. But he finally got his bearing and with Ron as his support he licked his lips and opened his mouth to start explaining but nothing came out.

So instead, he just stood there with his mouth gaping like a fish and turned towards Ron who just shrugged and stared down at his feet.

"Well we...ehm. We wanted to...no I said that..." He tried to explain but it wasn't so easy when they kept looking at him like he had done something terrible. 'Why are they looking at me like that?' he thought nervously. 'It was only a prank.'

"Relax." Ginny finally said when it came apparent that Merlin wouldn't be able to say anything coherent. "We're kidding. That was hilarious, how did you come up with that?" she said with a laugh.

"Oh ehh, it was Marcus really that did most of the work." Ron said and glanced at him. "I just ehm... helped."

"Well, I would say it was a joint mission." Merlin said with a smirk at Ron and released his grip on him.

"I should warn you." Hermione said as she took a step forward. "Fleur won't let you get away with this that easily. I heard rumours when she was at Hogwarts, that she always gets even, no matter what."

"I'm sure we can take whatever she puts on us." Merlin said with a huff and puffed out his chest as if to emphasise his point. "Don't you think so, Ron?" He glanced over at Ron who suddenly had gone white as a sheet in the face. "Ron, don't you agree?" he continued when Ron didn't respond.

"I didn't think that far ahead." Ron said with slight panic in his voice. "I was so engrossed in the prank that I didn't think about the repercussions." He said and backed away from Merlin and the others. "What if she does something terrible? What if she steals my broomstick?" His voice got more high-pitched the more he talked.

"Calm down Ron, I'm sure nothing bad will happen." Merlin tried to convince him, but honestly, he wasn't so sure. Fleur was a wildcard, who knows what she might do. 'I guess we'll have to wait and see.' He thought.

Merlin, Ginny and Hermione finally got Ron to relax and they spent the rest of the day talking about the prank. Ginny wanted to know how they did it, while Hermione wanted to know why and even lectured them a little about it.

Eventually, Mrs. Weasley had calmed down enough to let them come in and eat dinner. It was a silent affair and Ron and Marcus were forbidden to get near the food. Fleur had turned back to her usual self, which wasn't so surprising since the potion they'd given her was only meant to last a few hours, and she seemed awfully calm. She even asked Ron to send her the sausages.

Thinking all was well, Ron and Merlin went up to Ron's room after dinner to get the chess board. They had decided to have a small tournament with Remus and Ginny but when they opened the door to Ron's room they were in for a surprise.

Stuck to the walls, the roof and the floor were posters after posters of none other than Gilderoy Lockhart; all smiling a blindingly white smile down at them and giving different poses. Even Ron's own poster of the Chudley Cannons was affected. The players had effectively been replaced by duplicates of Lockhart.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**What did you think off the pranks? I wonder what Fleur will do to Merlin (Gasps and covers mouth with both hands in horror).**

**Have a wonderful week, and please review =)**


	13. The One With the Truth

**A/N**

**Thank you for all your reviews, favourites and follows. I'm sorry I didn't update last Monday, but I wasn't feeling well so I couldn't write a chapter in time. I hope you forgive me after reading this chapter =)**

**Guest:** Merlin and Morgana will be explained further along, but I'm afraid it may take a while before we reached Samhain. But never say never, I may put in a few clues before then if I'm feeling extra nice. I'm glad you liked the prank =)

**CrackedCrow:** Wow, I'm blushing by your praise. I try and make fun pranks, but I'm not so good with coming up with them, so they will be far between I'm afraid. I don't know what it is about that story of yours, but I totally got inspire by it, honestly. And you know what, I'm a little superstitious to when it comes to ghosts, because of certain experiences, so I understand =)

**Guest:** Yeah, Ron doesn't have it easy, when he's friends with Merlin =)

**Lady Flurryous: **Oh, there will be more Morgana, in one way or another. Thank you for liking the pranks and the chapter in general =)

**Female whovian: **Thank you =). And yes the pun was a little terrible. I hadn't slept for 35 hours so I was a bit out of it. Hopefully you will recognise Fleur's prank =)

**Bookybookworm:** I'm glad you found it funny =)

**IndiaMoore: **Thank you =) Even if he's grown up, he's still a Marauder deep inside.

**whenithitsthefan: **Självklart att jag nämner din fic, den är brilliant. Jag gillar också Morgana, vilket kanske märks. Tack så mycket =)

**Kioku7: **Thank you, I'm glad you like it =)

**Suzululu4moe: **Thank you for all your reviews, it was fun reading them all. I haven't really thought about the whole Hermione-Old Religion bit, but it's interesting. I will have to think about it. My idea was more that, she's a bit more in tuned with her magic then the rest are. Yeah, no one wants to be invaded by Lockhart, in any form. =)

**I want to remind you all, that I still am in need of prank ideas, but now, only when they are at Hogwarts. (Harry/Ron/Merlin vs everyone else, including teachers)**

**I want to thank my fantastic beta Crazy-about-books**

**Now, on with the show =)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11 The One With the Truth<strong>

"I-I...what the he..., h-how did she...?" Ron stuttered when they saw what Fleur had done to his room. "Not the Chudley Cannons!" he practically shrieked when he ran to the poster.

"I guess we now know what to expect." Merlin silently laughed at Ron's expression. "I wonder what she will do to me." He said, suddenly worried.

"Who cares?" Ron cried out. "Look what she has done to my room. Can you fix it? I'm not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts yet." He said pleadingly to Merlin, while nervously biting his knuckles.

"Can't you just take them down?"

"No." Ron said frustrated as he clawed at the posters. "She has used a permanent sticking charm."

"Okay then." Merlin said and took out his Sidhe-staff-turned-into-a-wand. "What is the counter curse?" He asked Ron while pointing his wand at the Chudley cannon poster.

"I don't know!" Ron said in a high pitched voice. "I thought you knew."

"How am I supposed to know? I haven't gone to Hogwarts." Merlin said and gestured with his hands. He did actually know, but he couldn't say that because it was an advanced spell that not just anyone would know. Especially not someone that supposedly hadn't been taught many wand spells. "Don't you know it?"

"No, we haven't been taught that spell yet. We're supposed to learn it this year."

"Fine." Merlin sighed. "Do you know other spells that might work?" Ron gave him a few spells and he pointed his wand at one of the posters and said "**_Evanesco_**" but nothing happened. He then tried another spell. "**_Finite incantatem_**" but still nothing happened. So he tried one final obliteration charm but that didn't work either.

"It doesn't work." He said as he turned towards Ron. "Her magic is too powerful for those spells."

"Don't you know some Old Magic spell that might work?" Ron asked hopefully.

"Maybe." Merlin said and gave it a thought. He didn't know a spell per-say, but maybe he could modify another similar spell. "I might know one spell." He said, and then he tucked away his wand and held out his right hand towards one of the walls. His eyes glowed golden when he said his new spell. "**_Ic i áswæpe_**" and all the posters on that wall vanished.

"You did it." Ron exclaimed happily.

"Yes, it looks like it." He said equally as enthusiastic as Ron.

"Now can you do the other walls?" Ron asked.

"Oh sure." Merlin said and cast the same spells at the other walls, the roof and the floor. Soon the entire room was spotless except for the Chudley cannons poster. "I can't use the spell at the poster." He said before Ron could ask. "It would remove the whole poster instead of just the spell used on it. I'm sorry but you'll have to wait and see if it disappears by itself after a while." He said with an apologetic shrug. Ron gave a disappointed look back.

"Maybe you should go up to your room and see if she's done anything to you?" he said after a moment of silence.

"Yes, I should definitely do that." Merlin spun around and ran away. "Meet me in the living room later with the chess game." He shouted over his shoulder to a slightly startled Ron, as he ran downstairs.

He feared the worse when he reached his room but when he opened the door, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. 'Maybe she hasn't had time to do anything yet?' he mused. But when he stepped into the room a strong wind rushed up from the floor and headed towards him with a speed that almost knocked him over. 'What was that?' he thought when he regained his balance. He could detect a spell inside the wind so he quickly made it over to the mirror to see what had happened.

When he saw his reflection, he couldn't help but laugh out loud. Written across his forehead, with what looked like warts, was "_Je suis Loser"_. He knew it was dangerous to use removing spells on himself, so he let it be. He figured that it would eventually disappear on its own.

He made it back downstairs and when the others saw his forehead their reactions were very different. Ron started laughing out loud with a volume that could reach the neighbours, if there had been any. Hermione yelped and then quickly covered her mouth with her hands while blushing. Ginny snorted and shook her head while she laughed silently. Mr. Weasley's body shook with barely contained laughter and Mrs. Weasley just looked disapprovingly at him. Remus Lupin tried to look stern and disapproving but failed miserably and eventually joined Ron. Bill looked at him with a look that said, 'I told you so' and Fleur smirked at him, very pleased with herself.

"How do I look? Do you like my makeover?" he asked them and spun around so everyone could see.

"The same as you always do, mate." Ron said in between his laughs.

"Handsome." He agreed and he could see Ginny give Hermione a knowing look, which she pointedly ignored, while he sat down beside Ron. 'I wonder what that's about?' he thought.

"Whatever you say mate, I wouldn't know." Ron told him when he had regained his posture after the laughter.

"Please, like nobody wouldn't find me handsome." He jested and poked him in the ribs with his elbow. When Ron ignored him he said. "So are we going to play or what?"

* * *

><p>A few days later, they got a surprise visit in the morning, by none other than Dumbledore. He was there to tell them that Harry would arrive in the evening. Before he left again he took Merlin aside to have a quick talk with him.<p>

"So Mr. Embrose, how has your stay at the Burrow been so far? They've treated you okay, I assume?"

"They have treated me like one of their own, Headmaster, so I couldn't be more pleased. Of course there have been a few ups and downs." He said and pointed to his forehead where the text was still visible but fading. "But nothing I didn't deserve." He said with a cheeky grin.

"I see." Dumbledore said and hid a small chuckle. "Well that's good to know." He said with a twinkle. "I just wanted to tell you that when I come back in the evening, I would like to ask you some questions. Would that be alright?"

"Of course, Headmaster." Merlin nodded in agreement. It wasn't like he could just say no.

"That's good." Dumbledore said and gave him a pat on the shoulder before he turned to walk away. "See you later this evening then, Mr Embrose." And with that, he walked outside the protected area around the Burrow, and apparated away.

Merlin couldn't help but slightly panic after he had left. 'He's found out about me.' He thought. 'I could sense it. I need to talk about this with someone.' So he decided to sneak off from the Burrow, and ran in the direction of a nearby hill and down the other side. When he was out of view, he cast a spell, "**Bedyrne mé! Astýre mé þanonweard!**" and a whirlwind appeared around him and he disappeared.

* * *

><p>Merlin reappeared in a clearing, in the middle of a forest, somewhere around where Camelot used to be. He had to be quick, before the others noticed he was gone, so he lifted his head up towards the sky and yelled; "<strong>O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!<strong>" He only needed to wait ten minutes before the sound of flapping wings could be heard, and soon Aithusa stood before Merlin.

"Hello, old friend." Merlin greeted her as he stroked her snout. She hummed in pleasure and lay down on the ground with her wings stretched out comfortably.

"_It has been a long time, young Warlock. Why have you decided to call me now?_" She asked, directly into his head. After her and Morgana's capture by Sarrum, she had grown a bit disfigured due to the small room in the well where they were held captive, and her ability to speak was one of the things that had been suffered, so she could only speak through her mind.

"I know it's been a long time, Aithusa, and I'm sorry. It's just...after the last time we met, I couldn't bear to be reminded of the old times again. I'm sorry, I know it sounds childish but I...I don't know what to say." He looked down at the ground in shame.

"_You don't have to explain yourself to me, Merlin. We are kin; I can feel your suffering even though we're miles apart. I forgive you._" She said and puffed him gently in the stomach with her snout. He looked up at her with tear stained cheeks and hugged her with all his might.

He had been worried that she would be angry at him and resent him for what he did, but hearing her forgive him wasn't something he had expected. The last time they had met, it had all come crashing down on him. All the memories and suffering he had felt. She had tried to calm him down, but he had been so deep in it, that he had ended up shouting at her and just left without a goodbye. By the time he had calmed down enough to see her again, it had been decades. He had been too ashamed to call her, and the longer it took the harder it was. He could really be a stubborn old man at times.

"_Now, why don't you tell me why you decided to call me?_"

"I need your help." He looked up at her pleadingly. "Morgana contacted me a few days ago."

"_Morgana?_" Aithusa asked confused, but with a hint of hope. She had always liked Morgana, Merlin knew that.

"Yes, Morgana. How is that even possible?" He asked her.

"_I don't know, Merlin. Did she tell you what she wanted?_"

"No," he shook his head. "Only that she wanted me to come to the Lake of Avalon, on the evening of Samhain. She wanted to speak with me. She said that something terrible was happening." He looked up at her eyes. "She sounded regretful, Aithusa."

"_Regretful?_" Aithusa sounded worried. "_I can't tell you what is going on, Merlin, but I will tell you what I've told you before. You should give her a second chance, especially if she feel such great regret._" Merlin broke their eye contact. He knew how much this meant to Aithusa, but he wasn't so sure.

"I don't know, Aithusa." He rubbed his hands over his face and hair. "I don't know what to think anymore."

"_Don't think then._" She told him. He looked up her surprised.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"_I'm saying that you should wait until you've met her, and make a decision then. There's no meaning in thinking it over and over again, now. You won't get any satisfying answers until you have all the facts._"

"That actually makes sense." He huffed with a short laugh.

"_I am a Great Dragon, Merlin. I know a thing or two._" She smirked, or at least made the dragon equivalent of one. He couldn't help but laugh out loud at that.

"There's one more thing, though." He said when he had composed himself. "Do you know about the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort?" He asked her.

"_Yes, I know about that awful man. He is causing an unbalance in nature just by being alive. What does he have to do with you, Merlin?_" She asked a bit worried.

"I have decided to help Harry with his prophecy. The problem is that I can't tell them who I truly am."

"_Can't or won't, Merlin?_" Aithusa said accusingly. "_You know what I think about that._"

"Yes, I know what you think, but it's not that easy. They see me as a God, Aithusa. If they found out who I am, they will expect so much of me, and I don't know if I can live up to that. I'm used to working in the shadows." He said desperately.

"_Maybe it's time you changed that._"

"The thing is that Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, has asked to talk to me later this evening." He said and ignored Aithusa's last remark. "I fear that he has found out about me, or at least something that will discriminate my story."

"_And what exactly is your story this time, Merlin?_" Aithusa said and raised an eyebrow, or at least the dragon equivalent of that.

"I told them that I was a Druid." Merlin said and gave an innocent smile.

"_Of all the lies you've come up with over the years, Merlin, that must be the worst._" She could barely hold in her laughter. "_And what will you say when they find out the Druids haven't existed for a millennia?_"

"Well, that was sort of why I need your help. I think that that is what Dumbledore has found out. And you can stop laughing; it was the best I could come up with on the spot. They saw me do magic, kind of." He shrugged under her gaze. "But I haven't lied about everything." He said and put up a finger to stop Aithusa from responding. "I have made a friend actually, and I've told him the truth about the Old Religion and the Old Magic. I only lied about myself and the Druids."

"_I guess that's an improvement, how small it may be._" She said after a while. "_And I'm glad that you've made a friend, Merlin. I just wish you could try and be honest with him. But about your dilemma with Albus Dumbledore, I have heard about him, and my opinion is that you should tell him everything._"

"Do you think that is wise?" Merlin said sceptically. "What if something bad comes of it?"

"_You forget that I'm a Great Dragon, Merlin. I can see small bits of several possible futures and the best outcome of all will come of telling him the truth._"

"And what about the others?" He said after contemplating her answer. "What would happen if I told them the truth?"

"_I'm afraid I can't see the outcome of that yet, but I would advise you to do it, not only for them, but for you as well. The only thing stopping you is your own fear._"

Merlin didn't respond to her statement, instead he thought hard about what she had told him. Could he really tell Dumbledore the truth?

"I have to go back, Aithusa." He finally said. "They will soon notice that I'm gone." He stepped forward and caressed her head. "I promise I won't take so long until next time."

"_Goodbye, young Warlock._" Aithusa said and watched as Merlin disappeared in a whirlwind.

* * *

><p>When Merlin came back to the Burrows, the others were all busy preparing for Harry's arrival. He decided to help them and didn't notice Hermione's curious glance at him. Ron hadn't notice he was gone, so he figured that no one else had either.<p>

* * *

><p>Harry finally arrived late that evening. Everyone had gone to bed except for Marcus, Ron and Hermione. They were both really happy to see Harry and didn't register when Dumbledore beckoned for Marcus to follow him outside.<p>

When they reached the garden shed, Dumbledore gestured for him to step in. When the door was securely closed behind them he started talking.

"During the last weeks, since you turned up on our doorstep, I have been doing some research, research about the Druids to be exact." He waited and tried to gauge some reaction from the boy, but his features were perfectly schooled and he didn't show any signs of worry. 'He has probably been expecting this.' Dumbledore thought before he continued.

"All my research indicates that the Druid communities died out several centuries ago. Around the time Hogwarts was founded to be more exact, in 990 A.D. And the teachings of the Old Religion and the Old Magic disappeared with them. There's nothing that indicates that they went into hiding, only that a few merged with the New Magic users and the others went to live with the muggles." Marcus didn't say a word but Dumbledore could see in his eyes that he was worried. When he hadn't said anything for a while, and only looked down at his feet, Dumbledore continued.

"I also did some research about you." At this Marcus looked up and into his eyes. He was clearly surprised and taken aback by this. "I have searched through both the muggle and the magical records for your name, and the earliest thing I can find is from five years ago. Before that you don't exist. Care to explain this?"

"I-I don't know what to say." Marcus stuttered and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt.

"How about the truth?" Dumbledore suggested kindly and placed a hand on Marcus's left shoulder.

"Okay." He said with a sigh after a few moments of silence, and wiped his hands over his face before he composed himself and started explaining. "My name's not Marcus Embrose." He said as he stared into Dumbledore's eyes.

"Care to tell me what your real name is?" Dumbledore asked.

"I can't tell you." Marcus said as he looked away. "At least not right now, you wouldn't believe me."

"Okay, then tell me your story first and we'll see if I'll believe you then." He didn't want to push the boy but he was very curious to find out who he was.

"You have to promise me first, that you won't tell anyone about this."

"I promise."

"I'm not a Death Eater, nor do I have anything to do with Voldemort or other dark creatures." He began.

"I didn't think you did either." Dumbledore said with a kind twinkle.

"What I told you before was the truth. I tried to protect Harry by stopping him from going to the Ministry. I have been keeping an eye on him since Voldemort found out about the prophecy." He put up his hands to stop Dumbledore from interrupting. "I know that I don't look like it but I'm older than you'd think. I have been around for quite some time now and every five to ten years I change my identity. The identity I use now is as you've already discovered, five years old."

_'__I wonder how old he really is.'_ Dumbledore thought. He didn't want to interrupt his story so he remained silent.

"It is true that I use the Old magic and I follow the Old Religion to some extents, but I'm not a Druid nor have I ever been. Your research was true in that the Druid communities don't exist anymore. They never went into hiding they only merged with the new wizards and witches and in some cases, the muggles. They forgot about the Old Religion and eventually also lost the ability to use the Old Magic from birth. It can still be taught but it is difficult and very few who don't already have the New Magic in their blood, can learn it."

"I have been able to use the Old Magic since I was born. My mother was a muggle or a mundane as they were called back then."

'_Back then? He must be very old to use the word mundane instead of muggle. The word muggle has been used since the International Statute of Secrecy was instated in 1692.'_

"My father was a sorcerer and a Dragonlord."

'_Dragonlord? I didn't know they really had existed.'_

"So he was the reason I was born of magic, a Warlock."

'_A Warlock! He must be very powerful.'_

"When he died I inherited the Dragonlord legacy and I am now the last one in existence. I am also the last one that truly knows how to use the Old Magic and therefore the most powerful one, which makes me a High Priest of the Old Religion, the last one. I know pretty much every spell of the Old Magic and I am also able to use it without any incantations and also invent new spells, since I am fluent in the language of the Old Religion."

"I lied before, when I said that I didn't know much about wand magic. I have every book ever written about the subject and I know every spell there is to know. I did live with my uncle who was a healer, but not a in the way you thought. He was a sorcerer of the Old Religion but he gave that up when he got older, due to some unpleasant circumstances." He swallowed hard at this and his gaze went hard, like he was remembering something terrible.

"He was a court physician to a King, and he taught me how to control my magic when I was young. My father never taught me anything, because I only met him when I was eighteen and had lived with my uncle for two years already. He was killed the day after by some soldiers to a neighbouring Kingdom."

"I lived with my uncle for ten years, until I turned twenty-six. Then some events happened that made me stop ageing and I decided to live on my own. He died almost ten years later and my mother died twenty years after that. Since then I haven't had any living relatives in this world. My friends lived on for a while longer and their descendants are alive today but I haven't met them and they don't know I ever existed."

"Before I turned up at Hogwarts I had lived on my own for fifty years and the only reason I made my new identity was so that I could keep a closer watch over Harry. I have never told anyone my secret before, not even my closest friends during the centuries." And with that Marcus finished his story and leaned back against the door with his eyes closed. A few tears spilled out and ran down his cheeks before he wiped them away.

"That is a very incredible story you have." Dumbledore finally said after the story had sunk in. "Do you mind if I ask you some follow up questions?"

"Go ahead." Marcus said without opening his eyes. He seemed to brace himself for what was to come. Dumbledore felt sorry for him, he could tell that this was difficult for him.

"How old are you?" Dumbledore decided to ask that first since that was what he was most curious about.

"I don't know exactly, but I was born in the latter half of the seventh century, around 660 AD. So I'm around 1340 years old but I mostly add up to 1400 to make it easier." He said with a humourless chuckle and finally opened his eyes to look at Dumbledore.

"You seem awfully young for someone so old." Dumbledore had to try very hard not to let Marcus notice how surprised he was.

"As I said before, I stopped ageing when I was twenty-six." He said with a casual shrug, like it was totally normal to live forever as a twenty-six year old.

"But how is that possible? What happened to you?"

"I'm not yet ready to tell anyone what happened yet, but I failed my destiny and as a punishment I have to walk the earth until I can fulfil it." He again seemed to be on the verge of tears. 'Whatever happened,' Dumbledore thought 'it must still be a tender subject for him.'

"I'm guessing you don't need to go to Hogwarts to learn wand magic after all." Dumbledore said as a way to change the subject.

"No, I really don't." This time his chuckle was genuine. "I only agreed so that I could keep a closer watch over Harry."

"I see, and is that something you still intend to do?" Dumbledore said a bit more serious now.

"Yes, it is. But if you rather think I should attend Hogwarts in some other way, I'm open to ideas." Marcus said equally serious.

"I may have a few ideas but I have to think it over first before I decide." 'I have the perfect solution for this.' Dumbledore mused.

"That's understandable." Marcus nodded. "You've just found out about my true powers so I get it. Take all the time you need." He finished with a smile.

"Thank you, Mr Embrose. But I have one more question for you before we part ways for now."

"What question would that be, Headmaster?"

"What is your name?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**I hope you liked it. When I was writing Aithusa's dialogues, I realised I was writing her a bit like Saphira in the _Inheritance_ series (Eragon), which if you haven't read it, you totally should. It an amazing book series by _Christopher_****_Paolini._ ****It was sort of fitting for her, and I could have a bit of writers freedom with her, as she's not part of the series so much in that way.**

**_Evanesce_ = **Makes the target vanish.

**_Finite incantatem_ = **Negates many spells or the effects of many spells.

**_Obliteration charm_ = **Removes things not wished to be seen again.

**_Permanent sticking charm_ = **Makes objects permanently stay in place.

**The Harry Potter spells are from Harry Potter Spells wikipedia**

**_Ic i áswæpe_ = **to sweep away/ remove/ clean

**I made this one myself, with the Old English translation page.**

**_Bedyrne mé! Astýre mé þanonweard!_ = **Conceal me! Guide me away from here!

**This one is a mix between a spell from Merlin Spell wiki and my own. I changed the word _**ús** _to **_mé. Ús _means we/us and _mé _means me.****

**_O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!_ = **O dragon, permit the appeal for an audience to speak here, fierce, wise-minded one.

**This is from the Merlin Spells wiki. I choose not to use the original spelling, and instead used the phonetics, because the original spelling is just symbols in Ancient Greek.**

**Have a great weekend =)**


	14. The One With the OWLs

**A/N**

**First I want to say Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates it, or God Jul as we say where I come from. And to everyone who celebrates Advent, Happy second Advent =) And since I won't update until next Monday, Happy Lucia on Saturday =)**

**NightsAnger:** Thank you so much =)

**mokona-au-chocopyuh: **I can't say anything about Morgana and Arthur, that would be spoilers. Thank you =)

**triquetra123: **Here you go then =)

**Guest: **Inheritance cycle indeed. The ending was cliffy ;P

**Sparky199: **You'll have to read and find out =)

**IndiaMoore:** Thank you =)

**Guest: **I did =)

**pond-centurion: **Hope you like it =)

**Guest:** I hope the this chapter is satisfying =)

**Female whovian: **That's sound very good to hear. Just the response I like =)

**Lady Flurryous: **I'm glad you liked her, and she's totally worth listening too. I can say that, no, Hermione did not follow him. You'll have to read and find out =)

**Bookybookworm: **I have read Eragon since the first book came out in Swedish, 2006. I have even seen the film (before I read the book, luckily. Otherwise I wouldn't have enjoyed it. They leave to much out). I'm glad that I could make you feel better. I hope you're all well now.I can't give anything up about Morgana and Arthur, but I can say that there will be no Freylin endgame. But they are mentioned in the next chapter I think, and she will make a small appearance later on. Don't feel bad about long reviews, they're my favourites =)

**BadTigz: **Thank you. I'm glad I made you ROTF =)

**whenithitsthefan: **Det ska jag självklart göra. Jag är glad att du gillade kapitlet =)

**ImaLady: **That's exactly the reaction I want =)

**I want to thank my Beta, Crazy-about-books, for editing this chapter. Thank you =)  
><strong>

**Now, on with the story =)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12 The One With the OWLs<strong>

"What is your name?" Dumbledore asked him. It took everything Merlin had to fight the urge to lie to him. He had told him parts of his story and it was only right that he knew his name as well.

"My name is Merlin." He finally said. He could see Dumbledore's eyes widening in surprise. 'He probably didn't expect that.' Merlin thought, a bit smug.

"I guess I shouldn't be so surprised." Dumbledore finally said after a few minutes of gaping like a fish. It was a very comical expression since it wasn't something you would expect Dumbledore to make. "After all," he continued. "You said you were born in the 7th century and that is when Merlin lived." He finished with a twinkle.

"You're not angry at me for lying?" Merlin had to ask, because that's what he was most worried about.

"I understand why you would hesitate to tell us. After all, everyone thinks you're dead."

"And that is what I want them to continue to believe. I know how you see me in the Wizarding world and I'm not sure I can live up to that." Merlin said with a sigh. Like he had told Aithusa, he didn't want to be viewed as a God-like creature. That was Emrys, not Merlin. Merlin was just a regular person who happened to have magic. At least, that's what he told himself.

"Legends have a tendency to distort the truth, but I'm positive that when people get to know the real people behind the legends, they will see how utterly wrong they were." Dumbledore told him. Merlin looked up at him with a hopeful look in his eyes. "I'm not saying that they would stop worshipping you, but they might accept you for who you truly are." Dumbledore may be a crazy old man sometimes but deep inside he was a wise man who knew exactly what to say to make things better.

"You really think so?" Merlin almost whispered.

"I truly do." Dumbledore stared down at him from his half moon spectacles. "Now, what do you say we get out from this storage room? Between you and me, there are a lot of spiders in here."

Merlin couldn't help but chuckle at that, as they made their way outside. Merlin walked with Dumbledore to the outside of the wards. When they got there, Dumbledore turned towards Merlin.

"I hope you have a wonderful summer, Merlin, and we will talk more about this when you arrive at Hogwarts." And with that he turned on the spot and disappeared, leaving Merlin alone with his thoughts.

* * *

><p>Harry had spent the last two weeks stuck at Private Drive 4. That had left him a lot of time to think about everything that had happened before he left Hogwarts. The thing, or person really, that he thought most about was Marcus Embrose. He was a big mystery that needed to be solved. He knew that he sounded a bit like Hermione when he thought about it that way, but deep inside; Harry was just as eager to solve mysteries, like Hermione was. He just did it without reading through every book in the library.<p>

He wanted to know who Marcus really was. He could tell that the stories he had told them weren't the entire truth. And he still hadn't figured out why he had flinched, when Hermione mentioned Merlin, in the Great Hall. He hoped that Ron had some luck in finding out things about him while Harry himself, was stuck. 'But not for much longer.' He thought. Dumbledore had sent him a letter the day before, stating that he would pick him up today. Of course, Harry couldn't be sure that it was really true. He had only stayed at Privet Drive for two weeks so far. So he hadn't packed yet. He didn't want to be disappointed and then be forced to unpack everything.

Of course, Dumbledore did come that evening, and together they visited an old friend of Dumbledore, Horace Slughorn. Harry apparently convinced him to return to Hogwarts as a teacher, and then they apparated to the Burrow. Harry still felt a bit dizzy after the apparition so he didn't notice at first that Ron and Hermione was running towards him. The impact, when Hermione hugged him, almost made him fall backwards. Luckily he steadied himself in time and the three of them walked back in the house. He didn't notice that Marcus had walked out after Ron and Hermione, and then walked away with Dumbledore.

* * *

><p>"Harry, it's so good to see you again." Hermione positively beamed at him across the kitchen table. Ron sat beside him.<p>

"You knew I was coming?" He asked a bit surprised. It was really late and it appeared the rest of the house was asleep.

"Dumbledore came this morning and told us he would bring you with him, later this evening. Didn't think it would be this late though." Ron said and scratched his head. "Hey, where did Marcus go?" Ron said as he looked around the kitchen.

"Marcus?" Harry said surprised. "I didn't notice he was here."

"Yeah, he sat up and waited with us. You're going to like him Harry, he's hilarious." Ron stood up and walked over to the door and looked outside. Harry gave Hermione a questioning look and she just shrugged and mimed 'later'.

"Maybe he went and talked to Dumbledore, Ron." Hermione told him.

"Mmm, maybe." Ron mused. "Should we wait up for him?" He said as he sat down at the table again.

"You can do that Ron, but I'm tired. I'm going to bed." Hermione stood up and walked towards the stairs.

"I'm tired too." Harry said. "Mind if I go to bed, Ron?"

"No, it's okay. We can talk more tomorrow. Fred and George's room is arranged for you to sleep in." Harry nodded in answer and followed Hermione up the stairs. Before she could enter Ginny's room, he grabbed her arm and made her turn towards him.

"What is it, Harry?" She asked confused.

"What is going on with Ron and Marcus, Hermione? He's acting like they're best friends." Harry was really confused about the whole thing. The last time he saw them together, they were getting along, but hardly friends.

"They have bonded these last few weeks. They make pranks and play chess and sometimes just sit and talk to each other. I was just as surprised as you, when I first came here." She said and shrugged.

Harry didn't have a reply too that so he just nodded in understanding.

"But that's not the worst part, Harry." She leaned forward. "Marcus's been telling him things about the Old Religion and the Druids." She said seriously. "I heard the whole thing. Can you believe it? They laughed when they realised we weren't there to hear it." She practically fumed. Harry knew how Hermione felt about these things, so he couldn't believe that Ron would do something like that. But then he realised something.

"How do you know all this?" He asked. Hermione had the decency to at least look a little guilty when she answered.

"I...I eavesdropped."

"Hermione..." Harry began but was interrupted by Hermione.

"That's not the point, Harry. They deliberately withheld information from us and I want to know why."

"Why haven't you asked them?" Harry pointed out.

"I was waiting for backup. Now that you're here, we can ask them."

"Fine, we can ask them tomorrow. I need to sleep now, so I can process everything. Goodnight Hermione." He said as he continued up the stairs, towards Fred and George's room.

"Goodnight, Harry." She said to his retreating back and then walked into Ginny's room.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Ron and Merlin had heard everything, from below the stairs. Merlin had come in, just as Harry had walked away. He had explained to Ron that Dumbledore had asked him a few things regarding his attendance to Hogwarts later that year, which wasn't entirely a lie. They had then decided to go to bed themselves and heard Harry and Hermione talking. They exchanged worried glances as they headed for their rooms.<p>

* * *

><p>The next day, just as Ron and Merlin had expected, Harry and Hermione cornered them before breakfast and made them follow them inside Fred and George's room, where they sat down amongst all the boxes and prank stuff.<p>

"So," Hermione began, and fumbled a bit with her hands while she shot nervous glances towards Harry. "I heard you two the other day, when I arrived."

Harry saw, Ron and Marcus, sharing a knowing look, before they both directed there eyes on Hermione.

"We know, Hermione." Marcus interrupted before Hermione could explain. "We know that you were eavesdropping on us."

"Y-you do?" Hermione said surprised.

"Yes, and I would like to apologize for not waiting for you, before I told that story." Marcus looked truly sorry about it, which surprised Harry. After what Hermione had said last night, he thought that they hadn't cared.

"Oh...thank you Marcus. I appreciate the apology." Hermione smiled at him. "But I can't believe you didn't tell me, Ron. You've had almost a week, and I haven't heard a word about it." She glared at him. Harry didn't envy him; Hermione's glares weren't pleasant to be under.

"I-I didn't think..." Ron stuttered.

"That's the problem, Ronald. You don't think!" Hermione was practically standing over him now.

"It's my fault." Marcus intervened, before the whole situation got out of hand. "I told him not to say anything before Harry came. I wanted to tell you both at the same time."

"Oh." Hermione said as she sat down again. Her temper, once again, under control.

"Can someone please tell me the story, so I'll know what's so important?" Harry finally said. He could tell that, Hermione was really upset that they hadn't included her with it in the first place, and he was curious to know what made her react so badly.

Marcus then told him the story; it was about the Druids, Old Magic and the Old Religion, and then finally, a story about, Merlin, himself. Afterwards, Harry could understand why, Hermione had gotten so upset.

"How is the mind talk going then?" Hermione asked, Ron and Marcus.

"M-mind talk?" Ron stuttered. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that you two have been conversing through your minds." Hermione sighed, irritated that they wouldn't admit it immediately.

"How did you find out?" Marcus asked with an impressed look in his eyes.

"I heard your conversation about it when I eavesdropped, and then I noticed the looks you were giving each other, which didn't make any sense, until I put two and two together. Quite easy actually." Hermione said proudly.

"You're quite clever, aren't you?" Marcus smiled at her, apparently proud over her deduction skills.

"I have my moments." Hermione said suddenly shy, and with a blush creeping up on her cheeks. Harry couldn't help but be impressed at Marcus. He had expertly avoided answering Hermione's original question, by turning the conversation towards her instead, making her forget the original question. Of course, it wouldn't last. She would remember it eventually and keep asking until she got her answer.

"So," Ron said after a while, breaking the, in Harry's opinion, awkward silence. "How was your trip with Dumbledore yesterday?" Hermione and Marcus turned to face Harry, both wanting to know the answer to Ron's question.

"He took me to see and old teacher that he wanted help with convincing to come back to Hogwarts this year." Harry shrugged. He didn't find it that interesting.

"He probably wants him to become the new DADA teacher." Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, of course." Ron said and he and Harry both nodded in agreement. Marcus didn't say anything, nor did he show any signs that he was interested in what they were saying. He only sat on the bed, beside Ron, and politely listened to what they said.

"So, how is he?" Hermione asked curiously. "Do you think he's any good?"

"I don't know." Harry said. Slughorn had seen a bit self-absorbed but he also seemed to have been well like by his old students. "He can't be worse than Umbridge, right?"

"I know someone that's worse than Umbridge." Ginny interrupted and came into the room without knocking.

"You can't just come in here without knocking, Ginny!" Ron said with a bit of irritation in his voice. "What if we've been doing something private, like you know, talking!" He said sarcastically and threw his hands up in the air to emphasize.

"Who's worse than Umbridge?" Harry asked curiously, before Ginny came up with a retort to Ron. But before she could answer, the door was opened again, and in walked Fleur, with a breakfast tray for Harry.

"'Arry, it's been too long." She said as she sat the tray down on his lap, where he sat on the floor beside Hermione and now also Ginny. She shot Marcus and Ron, an angry glare before she kissed him on the cheeks. "My sister Gabrielle won't stop talking about you." She continued. "Se's going to be delighted to see you again 'Arry."

"Is she also here?" Harry asked confused.

"No, silly." She laughed. "I meant next summer wen me and Bill are getting married."

"You're getting married?" Harry said surprised. "Congratulations."

"You didn't know?" She said and shot the others a look.

"We haven't had time to tell him yet, Fleur." Hermione said when it became obvious they other wouldn't talk. Harry noticed that, Ron and Marcus had shrunk back on the bed, as much as they could, and avoided eye contact with Fleur, whenever she looked their way.

"Bill is very busy for the moment, and I only work part time at Gringotts to learn more Englis, so we decided to take me up here to meet 'is family. I got very excited when I 'eard you would come, 'Arry. Zhere isn't much to do 'ere, if you don't like cooking, Zhickens and pranks." She shot Marcus and Ron another hard glare when she said the last one. "'Well then, 'Arry. I 'ope breakfast taste well." And with that she left the room graciously.

"What was all that about?" Harry asked when the door was closed and her footsteps had disappeared down the stairs.

"Depending on what you mean." Marcus said with a nonchalant shrug and rubbed his forehead, which seemed to have something written on it which he hadn't noticed before, finally breaking his silence.

"I mean, the whole death glare thing she did with you two." He said and pointed towards, Ron and Marcus.

"Oh, that." Ron said, equally as nonchalant as Marcus. "We kind of started a prank war with her, nothing exciting."

"A prank war?" Harry looked at Ginny and Hermione, who just shook their heads. 'Okay then,' Harry thought. 'If they won't tell me then I guess I'll try again later.'

"What else did Dumbledore tell you yesterday?" Hermione broke the silence.

"He's giving me private lessons this year." He said and matched Ron's and Marcus's nonchalant tone.

"Private lessons?" Marcus, of all people, said. Suddenly leaning forward towards Harry, and for some reason, had a slightly worried look on his face. "What for?"

"I don't know, but I guess it has..." Before he could continue though, Mrs. Weasley called for Ginny, from downstairs, and she left them with a final look at Hermione. Like she was telling her something that only the two of them knew about.

"So," Ron started, when Ginny was out of earshot. "What were you going to tell us?"

"I guess the private lessons have something to do with the Prophecy." Harry answered and looked around to see their reactions. Ron and Hermione both seemed eager and curious, while Marcus now sat leaned back against the wall again, a contemplative look on his face.

Before any of them could say anything else, a loud bang was heard and Hermione disappeared behind a smoke cloud.

"Hermione!" Both Ron and Harry yelled. She soon appeared through the smoke again, coughing, holding a telescope in her hand and a bright purple black-eye.

"I only squeezed it and… it hit me." She gasped. They now noticed that the telescope had a tiny fist on a spring. "Was it you two?" She glared at Ron and Marcus, who both were trying hard not to laugh.

"No," Ron said, whilst repressing a laugh. "We wouldn't do anything to you, Hermione. Right Marcus?" He turned towards Marcus.

"On my honour," He started and held a hand over his heart. "I promise that we would never do anything to you, or Harry." Marcus added with a glance towards him.

"Then who's is it?" Hermione asked and threw it to Marcus, who caught it easily. He showed it to Ron.

"It's probably one of Fred and George's things. We're in their room after all." Ron answered. "But don't worry; I'm sure mum can fix that easily." He said and gestured towards her black-eye. Hermione didn't answer, instead she turned towards Harry.

"Maybe Dumbledore will teach you some advanced defence magic…powerful counter curses…counter spells… and how to dodge enchantments in general." She told him; apparently back on the topic of his private lessons. "At least you know one class you'll have this year. I wonder when our OWLs are coming." She continued before Harry could answer.

"It shouldn't take long now," Ron said. "It's been almost a month."

"Hang on, "Harry remembered something that Dumbledore had told him last night. "I think, Dumbledore said that out OWLs are coming today."

"Today!?" Hermione shrieked. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?" She quickly stood up and ran out from the room and down the stairs. Not waiting for the others.

Harry, Ron and Marcus followed after in a calmer pace, and when they arrived at the kitchen, they saw three Owls heading their way. Soon they were perched on the kitchen table, each one of them lifting their right leg.

Harry held his letter with shaking hands, and just barely managed to open it. He could see Hermione, on his right, shaking so much that her Owl trembled. When he finally got his letter open, he folded up the parchment and read.

**Results of Ordinary Wizarding Level**

**Passing Grades Failing Grades**

**_Outstanding (O) Poor (P)_**

**_Exceeds expectations (E) Dreadful (D)_**

**_Acceptable (A) Troll (T)_**

**Harry James Potter Has Been Awarded:**

**_Astronomy: A_**

**_Care of Magical Creatures: E_**

**_Charms: E_**

**_Defence Against the Dark Arts: O_**

**_Divination: P_**

**_Herbology: E_**

**_History of Magic: D_**

**_Potions: E_**

**_Transfiguration: E_**

Harry was relieved after he read it through several times. He had known that he would fail _History of Magic_, and he had even gotten an _Exceeds Expectations_, in _Potions_. And best of all, he had gotten an _Outstanding_, in _DADA_. 'Take that, Umbridge.' He thought with a smile.

Ron had only failed _Divination_ and _History of Magic_, and Hermione had gotten ten _Outstanding_ and one _Exceeds Expectations_, in _DADA_.

Harry was a little disappointed that he wouldn't be able to continue on his path of becoming an Auror, because of his grade in _Potions_, but he could see that the others were proud of him. Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, Hermione and Ron all congratulated him. Even Marcus patted his back and told him he did well. He guessed that he could worry about his failed career choice another day. Right now, he wanted to celebrate.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**Ok, now I know that Fleur's dialogues may be a bit off, but I have a hard time writing her French accent in English. So if you have suggestions to make her dialogues better, PM me, and I will change them.**

**I have the same problem with Hagrid's dialogues in later chapters, I will probably ask for your help, then as well.**

**Another note that I can probably tell you right now, even if it's not until a few weeks. During the Christmas week I won't update on Monday's. Instead I will update on Christmas Eve, December 24th (which is the day we celebaret Christmas here) andf then on New Years Eve. Only so that you can get a tiny present in form of new chapters =). So I won't update on the 22th and 29th of December. I hope that is okay. **

**On another related note, it's my birthday in less then three weeks, on December 27th, yay =D**

**Now, about some fun news that has nothing to do with this fic. My parents have bought a new TV, 65 inch with 3D. It's awesome, but for now I only have two 3D movies, Titanic and Hobbit: the desolation of Smaug. I guess I'll have to wish for more, for my birthday.**

**Have a great week and eat lots of Saffron-buns and Gingerbread cookies on Lucia, with a lot of Glögg. I'm actually going on a Lucia Movie Night on Friday. It's an old tradition, where you celebrate the arrival of Lucia, on December 13th (Saturday) by staying up all night on December 12th. It's called Lussevaka. Now, Lucia Movie Night is an variant of Lussevaka, where you go to the cinema and watch three never before released movies (Mostly movies that airs later in December or January) and drink a lot of Red-bull. I hold my thumbs (cross my fingers) that one of the three movies, will the The Imitation game =)**

**Now I will stop typing and update this chapter =)**


	15. The One With the Anger Issue

**A/N**

**Thank you for all your reviews.**

**Lady** **Flurryous:** Thank you. It will be a few chapters before they go back to Hogwarts, and it wont be this year, but I have the chapter written already.

**Female whovian:** Thank you so much and Happy Christmas.

**bookybookworm:** That's exactly the kind of reaction I like. It will be a while before they find out his secret but I already know how I want it to happen. But I haven't decided yet if I want Hermione to find out before, hmm.

**Sparky199:** Thank you.

**justtoberandom: **Thank you so much.

**whenithitsthefan:** Tack så mycket. Jag kan inte riktigt förstå att så många personer gilla vad jag skriver. Jag har aldrig gjort något som detta innan, det närmsta jag kommit är korta berättelser för skolan. Det är lätt för andra att se honom som yngre än vad han är, tack vare hans utseende, men förhoppningsvis, efter att de lärt känna varandra bättre, så kommer Dumbledore att se honom mer som en jämlike och kanske rent av en vän. Den enda gånger som Harry visat svartsjuke-egenskaper i böckerna, har varit i sjätte boken när Ginny var tillsammans med Dean. Så jag tror inte att han blir svartsjuk så lätt. Men det blir också att Ron tillbringar mer tid med Harry än med Merlin, nu när Harry är tillbaka. Men som tur är, så har Merlin inget emot det. Är du bra på att skriva Hagrids accent? God Jul själv och tack så mycket.

**Give a special thank you to my Beta, Crazy-about-books, who keep putting up with me every week =)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 13 The One With the Anger Issue<strong>

Two days later, it was Harry's sixteenths birthday. It was a sombre affair, the only guest being Lupin, apart from those that already stayed at the Burrow. Fred and George hadn't been able to come, due to some business problem. More and more disappearances and deaths were mentioned in _The Daily Prophet _and Remus and Bill had with them even more dreadful news. They sat in the living room in the evening, drinking tea and eating some cake.

"There have been more Dementor attacks." Lupin stated when he received some cake from Mr. Weasley. He looked ragged and sad. His hair was streaked with grey and his clothes were worn and more patched than ever. "And Igor Karkaroff's body was found in a shack up north. The dark mark above it...I'm surprised he made it this long, a whole year. Sirius' brother, Regulus, only made it a few days."

"Oh well," Mrs. Weasley said with a disapproving look. "But perhaps we could talk about something el..."

"Have you heard about Florean Fortescue, Remus?" Bill asked. "The man that had..."

"...The ice cream parlour in Diagon Alley?" Harry interrupted with an empty feeling in his stomach. He feared the worse. "He used to give me free ice cream. What has happened to him?"

"Dragged away, by the looks of it in his parlour." Bill said with a sad frown.

"Why?" Ron asked, while Mrs. Weasley glared at Bill.

"Who knows? He must have angered them in some way. He was a good man, Florean." Bill answered.

"Speaking of Diagon Alley," Mr. Weasley said. "It looks like Ollivander has also disappeared."

"The wand maker?" Ginny said with a dismayed look,

"Exactly." Mr. Weasley confirmed. "The store is empty. No signs of struggle. Nobody knows if he left voluntarily or if he was kidnapped."

"But wands, how will people get new wands?" Ginny asked.

"They'll have to settle with other wand makers." Lupin said. "But Ollivander was the best, and if the other side has gotten hold of him, it's not so good for us."

Everyone was silent after that. Harry could see that Hermione and Marcus were thinking intently about what had been said. He was curious to see what they thought about all of it, so he decided to ask them when they went back to their rooms, later that evening. He took Hermione by the arm and guided her to Ron's room, where Marcus and Ron were already waiting.

"What do you think about what has happened?" Harry asked quietly. He didn't want the others to hear.

"I don't know." Marcus frowned. "This Florean guy, did he have any known connections with Voldemort?" Ron involuntarily flinched at the name, but Hermione just shook her head.

"None that I've heard of." She said. "And neither has the Order, I asked Lupin before we went up here." She clarified.

"How about Ollivander, then?" Marcus asked. "What would they want with a wand maker?"

"I don't know." Hermione answered and shook her head.

The conversation ended shortly after and they all went to their respective rooms. All in deep thought about what was going on.

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><p>'<em>Aithusa!<em>' Merlin called when he lay in his bed. He had many questions about the disappearances of Florean Fortescue and Ollivander, but he couldn't voice them to Harry and the others, it would only make them more suspicious of him.

'_Merlin,_' Aithusa greeted. '_What is it that troubles you this time?_' She said with a hint of concern in her voice.

'_Have you heard about the disappearances of Florean Fortescue and Ollivander?_' He asked her.

'_I can't say that I have, Merlin. Why are you asking me?_'

'_None of them has any known connections with Voldemort, but they were both kidnapped from their homes. I want to know why. It doesn't make any sense._' Merlin was genuinely concerned about this. They must know something that makes them valuable to Voldemort. Why would he otherwise go to the lengths of kidnapping them?

'_I can't answer that for you, Merlin. But if you want, I can keep an eye out for them and let you know if I see them in my visions. I know that it's not what you wanted to hear, but it's the best I can do for now._'

'_I understand, Aithusa. Thank you for your help._'

'_Goodbye, Merlin._' She said and broke their connection.

Merlin lay awake for several hours that night. Unable to come up with an answer as to why these two men were so important to Voldemort. As far as he knew, none of them had any previous connections with him.

* * *

><p>The next day, they got their letters from Hogwarts and Mrs. Weasley decided that they should go to Diagon Alley the following Saturday. Harry had been chosen as Captain of the Quidditch team so they all decided to play some Quidditch on the backside, to celebrate. It was Harry and Ron against Marcus and Ginny. Hermione decided to only watch, as she never was much for playing Quidditch in the first place.<p>

Merlin had also gotten a letter, but he waited until he was alone in his room before he opened it. He could sense a spell on the letter, a spell that made the words invisible to anyone than the intended receiver. 'It must be important, if Dumbledore doesn't want the others to see what is in this letter.' Merlin thought as he opened it.

**_Dear Merlin,_**

**_I have decided that since you're both too old and too over qualified to be a student at Hogwarts, you will be an assistant caretaker and gamekeeper. You will work together with Mr. Filch and Hagrid, doing chores in both their areas. This will make you able to walk around the castle and grounds, without raising suspicion, and therefore making it easier for you to detect threats to our school and to Harry. _**

**_You will also attend a few lessons in the various subjects that we teach at Hogwarts. You will take one subject at the time; two weeks per subject should suffice. Then you will take the OWL and the NEWT exams, when you're finished, making it possible for you to work in the Magical community in the future, no matter when that would be. _**

**_A list of all the things you'll need is attached on the second parchment. _**

**_I hope you have a wonderful summer._**

**_Yours, Albus Dumbledore_**

Merlin scanned the second parchment, realising that he already had all the required books that would be needed. All he needed was to fill up his potions ingredients, buy some quills and some parchment. All the rest could be found in his house.

* * *

><p>A few days later, Hermione and Ginny found Marcus alone in the living room, reading <em>Hogwarts, a History<em>. They decided to take this opportunity and ask him some much needed questions.

"Hello, Marcus." Ginny greeted and sat down next to him on the sofa, on his right side.

"Hi." Hermione greeted and sat down opposite them, in an armchair.

"Hello, Ginny, Hermione." He nodded to them and continued reading his book.

"What are you doing?" Ginny asked innocently.

"Reading." He answered without lifting his eyes from the book. Hermione could tell this wasn't going to be as easy as they had thought.

"What are you reading about?" Ginny continued, still with an innocent tone and facial expression.

Marcus didn't answer her question. Instead he sighed, closed his book with a thump and turned to face Ginny. His expression was irritated but is eyes glimmered with amusement.

"What do you want?" He asked Ginny, raising an eyebrow.

"We just want to ask you some questions, that's all." Ginny admitted, realising he wasn't fooled by her attempt to seem innocent.

"You want to ask me some questions." He said and shook his head with a smile. "Fine," he said, as if he was giving up. "Ask away." He put the book on the table and leaned back in the sofa, with his arms and legs crossed.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Ginny asked and Hermione saw confusion cross Marcus' face before he schooled his expression into an amused look, once again. 'Not the question he had expected, interesting.' Hermione thought.

"No, I don't have a girlfriend." He answered and chuckled a little when he asked, "Why do you want to know?"

"Oh, just curious." Ginny said, but Hermione could see a faint blush spreading on her cheeks. "Another question, then." She continued. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"A boyfriend?" He spluttered. "No, of course not. Why do you think that?" He looked really confused now.

"Who's Arthur then?" Hermione decided to ask.

"Arthur," Marcus started. He was visibly affected by his name, but he tried to seem neutral when he spoke. "He was my best friend when I grew up. He died." He wiped a stray tear on his cheek, which had fallen from his eye.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said. "I...I didn't know. I'm sorry." She bent her head down in shame.

"It's okay, Hermione." Marcus said and reached forward to pat her hand on her lap. "Of course you didn't know. How could you?" He turned to Ginny before he continued. "Seeing as you're obviously curious, I might as well tell you. I'm not gay, nor have I ever been. I had a girlfriend a couple years after I moved in with my Uncle. Her name was Freya, but she had to leave and I haven't had another since then. Arthur and I were only friends. He was a few years older than me and he was happily married when he died. I don't want to go into the details about his death, but I was with him when he passed away and it has affected me a lot. I still feel emotional when I think about it, and sometimes I have nightmares about it. That's why I shouted his name when I woke up in the Hospital Wing." He leaned back on the sofa again after telling his tale and both Ginny and Hermione were on the verge of tears. "Do you mind if I continue with my book now?" He asked them.

"Of course."Hermione quickly responded. "Come, Ginny." She grabbed Ginny's left arm and they both walked out of the living room. Hermione looked back when they had reached the opening to the kitchen. Marcus had picked up his book again and was flipping the pages, until he found the right one.

"That went well." Ginny said sarcastically, when they had entered her room and she sat down on her bed. Hermione remained standing, just inside the room, with the closed door at her back.

"It could have gone better." Hermione agreed.

"We found out what we wanted, at least." Ginny stated with a faraway look on her face.

"I can't believe how much he's been through during such a short time. First, his dad dies, then he has to leave his mum to go and live with his Uncle. Then his girlfriend leaves him and his best friend dies. And then his Uncle dies and he can't go back to his mother for fear that she will be persecuted by the Death Eaters." Hermione ranted, as she finally sat down at the chair beside Ginny's desk. "It's no wonder he's as closed off as he is." She sighed.

"At least he's not gay." Ginny tried to lighten the mood in the room. "He's free game." She couldn't help but smirk a little. Hermione cracked a smile at that and they both started comparing Harry and Marcus and, despite Ginny's protests, Ron.  
><span>

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><p>Saturday arrived the next day, just like every other morning that summer. The sun was shining and the kitchen at the Burrow was filled with activity. Harry was sitting at the table with Ron and Hermione, when Merlin walked in. He greeted Mrs. Weasley at the stove, with a good morning and sat down opposite the trio, beside Bill and Ginny.<p>

Fleur was avoiding Ron and Merlin at any costs, probably scared what they were going to do to her when they retaliated, which was why Merlin was in such a happy mood this morning. He was going to visit the Weasley twins and get some prank supplies.

Mr. Weasley walked in to the kitchen at the same time as Bill gave Harry a small pouch filled with money.

"Where's my money, then?" Merlin joked.

"Yeah, where's our money?" Ron chimed in with a grin. Bill just shook his head as he sighed.

"I took out some money for you Harry," He said when he saw Harry's slightly confused look. "It takes around five hours for the public to get to their vaults nowadays, with all the extra security." He turned to Merlin. "I'm sorry but I couldn't get you any. Do you even have an account at Gringotts?" The trio and Ginny immediately perked up their ears, eager to hear his answer.

"It's okay, Bill. I have an account, but I don't need to make a withdrawal. I did that last year and I still have some money left, so I'm okay." He did have an account actually. It was made when Gringotts first opened, and was filled with everything Merlin had collected through the centuries. The Goblins knew who he was, there was no fooling them and they would never reveal his secret to anyone, but it was for the best that the others didn't see his account. The things in there would immediately raise some questions, and he had actually made a withdrawal the year before, when he decided to watch over Harry, from Hogsmead.

"Plus, I'm not going to buy much, since I'll only be a caretaker at Hogwarts." He continued. He had told them parts of what had been in the letter. He had told them that he would be a caretaker, and that he would study so he could take the OWLs and the NEWTs. He didn't tell them why.

"But won't you need books?" Hermione asked him, clearly concerned.

"I already have a few books, and the rest, I will borrow from the school." He said, and Hermione seemed satisfied with his answer.

When it was time to leave for Diagon Alley, the sun had disappeared behind some clouds, and Merlin noticed Mrs. Weasley's mood drop. She was nervous and hurriedly pushed the group towards a Ministry car, standing outside the Burrow. Merlin, Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny squeezed together in the backseat of the car. It had been magically enlarged, but five people were almost too much, but they made do. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sat in the passenger seat up front.

"It's cool that dad could get us one of these again." Ron said to the others, while he comfortably leaned back, while the car drove away.

"Don't get used to it." Mr. Weasley responded. "It's for Harry's sake. He's been assigned the first rank security status."

"Well, I still think it's cool to ride one of these." Ron whispered to Merlin, and Merlin couldn't help but snort a little, which earned him some curious glances from Harry, Hermione and Ginny.

The rest of the ride went smoothly and they arrived at the Leaking Cauldron without a hitch. Waiting for them there was Hagrid. Merlin hadn't met him since the incident in the forest, and he was practically unconscious the entire time, so he didn't think it counted. He decided to talk to him, after he had greeted Harry and the others.

"Hagrid, hi." He went up to him while the others started walking towards the entrance to Diagon Alley. "You may not remember me, but you saved me earlier this year at Hogwarts, and I wanted to thank you." Hagrid looked intently at him, before he burst out into a huge grin and slapped an enormous hand into Merlin back, which nearly made him topple over.

"Of cuurse, I remember ye. You're the ol' man tha stumbled out from the Forbidden Forest. How ye doing?" He said in a rough accent.

"I'm doing fine, thank you." Merlin grinned back at him.

"Tha's good to hear." He said and patted him on his left shoulder. It felt like he would be pushed down, through the floor. "But ye don need to thank me, I'm happy to help anyone who needs it."

"I'm still thankful though." Merlin said with a smile, which Hagrid returned. "I don't know if Dumbledore has told you already, but I'm going to work with you this year."

"Ye don' say." Hagrid beamed. "Ye welcome to the service then."

"Thank you." Merlin beamed back. He couldn't help but feel glad when he was around Hagrid. 'I hope Filch is just as nice.' He mused.

"We better join the others before they start missing us." Hagrid said and indicated with his thumb where the others stood and waited for them. When they joined them, Ron and Harry sidled up to him.

"What was that about?" Ron asked.

"I wanted to thank him for saving me earlier this year, haven't had the opportunity before. I also told him that I would work with him this year." Merlin explained and they nodded in understanding.

While they walked through Diagon Alley, Merlin noticed how the once colourful and sparkling store windows, had disappeared behind large posters from the Ministry of Magic. It was all very sombre.

They arrived at Madame Malkin's clothes store, where they decided to split up. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Merlin and Hagrid stayed at the store, while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley took Ginny with them, to buy all the schoolbooks. Merlin decided to stay with the trio. He didn't need any robes, only work clothes, which he already had at his house. No, he just didn't want to leave them alone.

When they walked in, they heard a voice coming from behind a set of colourful, festive robes. Merlin didn't recognise it, but from the looks of it, the others did.

"...not a child, if you haven't noticed it, mother. I can very well do my purchasing myself."

They heard someone clucking.

"Yes, but your mother is right dear, none of us should walk around alone anymore, and it has nothing to do with being a child..."

"Watch where you're sticking that needle!" The first voice yelled. A boy, in the same age as the trio, walked out from behind the set, wearing a deep green robe that sparkled from all the needles in the hem and wrists. He stepped in front of a mirror, and that's when he noticed Harry, Ron, Hermione and Merlin, watching him. His light grey eyes narrowed.

"A mudblood, just stepped into the store, if you're wondering what the smell is, mother." He sneered.

Merlin made eye contact with the boy, through the mirror, and he felt a dark force sweeping over him, clouding his senses and all he could feel was anger. Before anyone could say anything back to the boy, Merlin had raised his right arm and was now holding the boy in a magical lock. He hadn't used a spell, instead his magic had instinctually reacted to the anger he felt. His eyes still shone golden, when he turned the boy around to face them, his feet almost leaving the floor.

"How dare you call her that?" Merlin growled at him with clenched teeth.

"Wh-what are you?" The boy stuttered in fear and stared at Merlin's still golden eyes.

"What is going on here?" A woman stepped out with a measuring tape and a wand, presumably Madame Malkin. Merlin quickly released the boy, and stepped out from the store before the boy's mother appeared.

He waited outside with Hagrid, still fuming with anger. Hagrid didn't try and start a conversation, apparently seeing that Merlin was in no mood for it, so he walked away a little to give him some privacy. Shortly after, the boy walked out with a woman Merlin assumed was his mother. He took one look at Merlin, before hurrying his steps and disappeared behind a corner. His eyes had been filled with fear when he looked at him. Merlin couldn't help but smirk, but it slowly disappeared along with the anger, when the boy was long out of reach.

When the trio eventually stepped out from the store, he had glided down to the ground. He sat, leaning against the wall, holding his knees up against his chest and his arms wrapped around them. His head was bent down and his forehead was resting atop of his knees. They looked at him with worry.

"What was that all about?" Harry asked him. "Did you know who it was?"

"No," Merlin stated without looking up. "I don't know who that clotpole is."

"What is a clotpole?" Ron started, but Hermione cut in.

"Why did you get so angry if you didn't know who it was?"

"I don't know." He pressed his hands against his eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling. Hermione sank down next to him and put an arm around his shoulders.

"Why don't you tell us what happened?" She said to him.

"I've seen a lot in my years," He began. "But when that boy called you that word...I don't even know what it means." He shook his head and wrapped his arms around his knees again. "I locked eyes with him, through the mirror, and something dark just washed over me, blocking all my senses. All I could feel was anger and I just snapped. I don't know what I would have done if that woman hadn't walked out. My magic reacted instinctually; I barely had any control over it." A few tears escaped from his hands and fell down his cheeks.

He stood up before they could respond to what he had just said. He wiped away all the dirt from his jeans, and then started walking towards Hagrid. He turned around and faced them. "Do you have everything you need?" He asked. They nodded in agreement and he continued towards Hagrid.

The others shared a concerned look with each other, before they joined him, and together they walked towards the Joke Shop. They didn't say anything more about it, sensing that Merlin wasn't up for it right now. He knew that they probably would want to talk to him about it later, but for now, he was thankful for the silence.

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><p><strong>AN**

**So, I was on a Lucia Movie Night this weekend, as I told you last week. Do you want to know which movies they showed? Well first it was a movie called 'Whiplash'. A very strange movie about a drummer. But then came the second movie. I had been hoping they would show that one but I didn't have high hopes, but they showed 'The Imitation game', and let me tell you, it was so good. If it doesn't at least get a Oscar nomination, then there's something seriously wrong with the world. The third and last movie was 'Pride', whit Andrew Scott. Can you believe it, first Sherlock then Moriarty. You can probably tell that I was very happy afterwards.**

**Tomorrow I going to see third Hobbit movie. I really hope that it's as good as the previous two.**

**Have a great week everyone =)**


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